Pine Valley 2017: The Way it was Meant to Be
by jgreen
Summary: Sequel to Life Goes On. Greenlee and Leo return to PV and find out what has changed. 2003-2016 is a blank slate. Kendall/Zach/David/Bianca and more plus my AMC fantasy couple. More in-depth intro before Chapter 1. Knowing "Life Goes On" is not essential.
1. The Truth and Off to PV

_**Intro:**__ After 15 years away from Pine Valley hidden from Vanessa, Greenlee and Leo return to Pine Valley with their two children, Holly and David, to reconnect with old friends and family, thinking it is finally safe for them to return. What has happened in their time away? Who died, who came back from the dead, and who never died in the first place? How did the events of 2003-2016 change because of "Life Goes On"? Who has fallen in love and who is fighting the pull? And is Pine Valley ever really safe?_

_Knowing "Life Goes On" would definitely help but having read it is not really necessary for this story. Just seeing the above introduction and reading chapter one should give you all you really need to know. But if anyone wants a full summary of it, they can send me a message._

_I would love to hear thoughts and get some feedback!!!_

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Late August 2017

Greenlee sat down next to Leo and rubbed her hand over her husband's sunken shoulders. "Come on, Leo. We knew this day would come sooner or later."

"Yeah we did. But that doesn't mean I was ready for it."

Leo sighed and turned his head towards the floor. When he had heard Anna's voice on the phone, he just knew. There was only one thing in the world that would have made her contact them – they found Vanessa. Thanks to Anna, Greenlee and Leo had spent almost 15 years hidden away in a quiet, middle class, North Carolina town under the aliases of Danny and Sarah Hamilton. Once they found out that Vanessa had survived all those years before, it was the only way to ensure their safety from her. Only Anna had known where they were.

"She is really dead this time, Greens."

Leo stroked his own dark hair, trying to figure out how he was supposed to feel about everything. Vanessa was his mother after all – he hated her for what she did, but there was a part of him that always held onto some love; some hope that she wasn't all bad. He stared at his wife sitting next to him; a look of support gracing her beautiful face. He brushed his hand through her long, dirty blond hair and smiled. At least Greenlee had nothing to worry about ever again.

"Anna saw the body herself. Vanessa apparently died of a heart attack, and when the body was found in some dump in Europe and they didn't know who it was… anyway, it doesn't matter. Anna said that the body is being transported to Pine Valley as we speak – so that her sons could bury her – but she also said the burial would be in a week so David would have the choice to come."

"So we're free?"

"100%," Leo smiled and gave his wife a kiss. "We never have to worry about her ever finding us – you and the kids are safe forever. Anna also told me that all of our accounts are open again and the loft is still there for us if we want it. Man, I can't wait to see David again! He'll be so happy to meet his niece and nephew, and we should have at least one of our own to meet."

Greenlee looked confused. "Anna didn't tell you about any of that?" When they had left Pine Valley, Anna was still pregnant with David's child. Wouldn't she have filled Leo in on him/her during their conversation?

"She wouldn't discuss David," Leo told his wife. "I got the feeling that they aren't on good terms right now. She didn't explain why David would need another week either."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Greenlee pointed out soothingly. She shifted her eyes to the right, in the direction of the kid's rooms, as some nerves began to show on her face. "But it looks like it's time we had the talk."

"Time to tell Holly and David the truth, huh?"

Greenlee nodded. "God I hope they won't hate me."

"You kidding? They'll be happy to find out they have more family than just the two of us. And besides," Leo grinned widely. "Now that we are Leo and Greenlee duPres again, you can spoil them rotten the way you always wanted to."

"I can, can't I?" Greenlee smiled mischievously, her big brown eyes sparkling from the ideas running through her head. "Alright, let's do it."

Leo took a deep breath before standing up. He walked over to Holly's room first and knocked before opening the door. His thirteen year old daughter was lying in bed reading one of her romance novels. Greenlee never understood where Holly got her enjoyment of reading from – certainly not from her parents – but her obsession with romance was definitely an inherited trait; as was the petite frame and long dark hair which were her mother's natural features. Greenlee treasured her close relationship with Holly immensely; always wanting to make sure that her daughter never felt as unloved as she had growing up, and always thankful that Holly loved her back and enjoyed spending time with her too.

"Hey gorgeous," Leo greeted his daughter. "Could you come out here? Your mom and I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure, Daddy." She put down her book face down on her bed to hold it in place and left her room. Leo marveled at his daughter – such a well behaved and good natured girl. _Where on earth did she get that from_?

Next up was David. Leo found his room open and saw his ten year old son completely engaged in his PlayStation 4 – as usual. Leo knew that whenever David would grow out of that phase where games were his number one priority, his defined cheeks and deep brown eyes were going to turn him into a real heartbreaker. David was also a constant reminder of his namesake – Leo's brother David. Leo worried about his brother and his family trait of getting into trouble; a trait which went straight to David Jr.

"I need you to pause the game for a sec, David. Your mom and I need a word."

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," David immediately went into defense mode without bothering to look up from his game.

"You're not in trouble. We just have something important to talk about. _Please_?"

"Okay," David answered unhappily. He followed his father out of the room and towards his mother and sister sitting on the floor waiting for them.

Leo sat down next to Greenlee and put his arm around his wife. She looked into his eyes with an excited half smile. _We're really going to do this_.

"So," Leo began with his trademark smile. "You two know how much your parents love you, right?"

"More than anything in the world," Greenlee added.

Holly and David both nodded.

"But it's also time for us to be totally honest with you," Leo told them. "It's time you knew where you came from."

He looked at Greenlee, hoping she would be willing to start off and break the ice; but understanding what he wanted her to do, she lightly shook her head with a determined stare. _You do it._

Leo sighed and looked back at his two children.

"Alright," Leo rubbed on his chin. "Let's start from here: Holly and David _Hamilton_. Well, um, our last name isn't really Hamilton… it's _duPres_."

...

* * *


	2. Finding Uncle David

Leo, Greenlee, and the kids entered their first stop back in Pine Valley for the first time in almost fifteen years: the Pine Valley hospital.

"This place creeps me out," David spoke up uncomfortably, looking around at all the people in the waiting area.

Leo and Greenlee gave each other meaningful looks, trying to hold in their smiles. _Big surprise: our son doesn't like hospitals_.

"We'll be out of here in a bit," Greenlee answered her son. "We're just going to see if we can find your Uncle David first."

Leo noticed the receptionist preoccupied with a phone call even with the number of people waiting for her attention. He looked around for someone else who could help.

An important looking woman in a lab coat, probably in her fifties, came through a door and picked up a file sitting on the receptionist's desk. Leo approached her. _What could it hurt?_

"Excuse me, Doctor…" Leo paused, looking for a name tag.

"Hubbard," the woman answered gracefully. "Dr. Angie Hubbard. How can I help you?"

"Well, I'm sort of looking for someone: Dr. David Hayward?"

The woman's expression turned from a helpful one to one of disdain. "Dr. Hayward thankfully has not been working here in a long time. Now, if there is nothing else, I have patients to see."

_Wow! Looks like David still has that effect on people._ Leo shrugged and walked back to his family.

"Leo, Leo," Greenlee told him quickly in a hushed tone; tapping his arm while her focus was fixated on something in the corner of the room. "Is that…?" Leo followed his wife's eyes and saw the woman sitting on a chair in the corner with her face buried in a bridal magazine.

"Yeah, I think so," he agreed.

Greenlee excitedly grabbed Holly's hand and encouraged her to follow: "Come on."

Mother and daughter approached the woman, she being too engrossed in her magazine to notice them standing over her.

Greenlee cleared her throat loudly. "Aren't you an expert in this stuff already? I figured you would be at least on marriage number four by now."

The woman recognized the familiar voice and looked up from her magazine. "Oh my God! Greenlee!" She excitedly hugged the petite woman. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, Simone," Greenlee answered, hugging her back.

"Oh wow!" Simone exclaimed, backing off and rubbing her moistened up right eye. "You look so great! And we have so much to catch up on! I have so much to tell you! And who is this beautiful young lady?" she asked, noticing Holly standing next to her mother.

"I'm Holly," the young girl answered with a smile, feeling right at ease with the woman who seemed so happy to see her mother.

"Hi Holly. I'm Simone Torres," Simone smiled at her, extending her hand for Holly to shake. "Your mom and I go waaay back."

"It can't be Torres for long," Greenlee assumed with a smirk. "Bridal magazines, glowing face, and that nice little ring on your finger…"

"Are you getting married?" Holly enthusiastically asked. "I love weddings! How did he propose! Was it romantic? When's the wedding?"

Greenlee and Simone chuckled simultaneously at Holly's enthusiasm. "She lives for this stuff," Greenlee pointed out. "So who is the lucky guy? Do I know him?"

Simone blushed. "Yeah, kinda. He's the chief of staff here actually."

"Okay, I know you always liked older men, but isn't Joe Martin a little too far up there for you."

Simone gave Greenlee a playful slap on her shoulder. "No, not _that_ Martin."

"Really?" Greenlee raised her eyebrows in happy anticipation. "You and Jake?"

Simone bit her lip and nodded excitedly. Greenlee gave her friend another hug. "Oh that's great!"

"Yeah, I was just waiting for him out here. Oh hi Leo!" Simone acknowledged Greenlee's husband who had finally approached their old friend with his son by his side.

"Hey Simone. So you and Jake, huh? Congratulations!"

"Thanks, thanks," Simone happily answered the tall man. "Aww, seeing you two again… I guess that means, you know, uh, the V word…"

"Is no longer a problem," Leo finished the sentence for her.

"Great. Oh this feels like old times doesn't it? I can't believe this." Simone relished the moment with her old friends; then she realized that they had a great way to be able to catch up properly: "Oh my God! You all have to come for dinner tonight! Jake and I are doing the hosting thing anyway to practice for married life; I would love it if you all could come!"

"We'd love to," Greenlee answered.

"But maybe you could help us with something first," Leo began. "We were hoping to find David, but no luck so far. Do you know where he might be?"

Simone's expression shrunk at the question. "Well, Leo, I'm not really sure how to tell you this…"

Greenlee looked at her friend nervously, Leo's expression turned to worry, and David Jr. finally started paying attention to the conversation.

"… David's in jail."

"What!" Leo cried out, immediately realizing that the entire room had heard him. "What did he do?" he asked in a whisper, trying to overcompensate for his outburst.

"Listen, Leo, I don't really know much about it except the standard town gossip and the spin from the papers. I don't really know David so I don't know all the details. I mean, I know what everyone thinks he did… but probably better to talk to him."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go do that," Leo told the group, still feeling a little shocked. "Greenlee, I'll take a cab over there and meet you guys back at the loft, okay? I'll be back before our big nostalgic dinner, I promise." He kissed Greenlee on the top of her head and quickly hurried out.

"I have an uncle in prison?" David restated the obvious. "Are we still going to see him, Mom?"

"Soon enough," she answered. She rolled her eyes and turned to Simone: "Ten minutes in Pine Valley and we already have a family crisis."

"Just like old times," Simone pointed out.

----------

"Hayward!" A guard knocked his baton loudly onto the bars of the cell. "You have a visitor!"

The former doctor was lying on his bed with his eyes open thinking about the past. There wasn't much else for him to do in prison besides thinking about how screwed up everything had gotten – and everything he had lost. He sat up at his own slow pace and unenthusiastically followed the guard out.

He came into a big room and saw Leo sitting behind a wall of plexiglass holding a phone and waiting to talk to him. David rolled his eyes before sitting down across from his brother and taking a phone of his own.

Leo was a little taken aback when he saw him. He expected the graying hair and the scruffy looking face that was in desperate need of a shave, but he didn't expect the attitude. David looked cold and worn down; like he didn't want to be around anyone.

"Little brother," David greeted Leo solemnly, without so much as a smile. "When they told me about Vanessa, I knew you would be here sooner or later."

Leo searched for the words, opening his mouth a couple times to speak, but still feeling thrown off and unable to find the right thing to say.

"You want to know what happened to me," David looked down at the table in front of him. "Simple: life came at me with everything it had and life kicked my ass."

"David," Leo started out uncomfortably, afraid of what the answer might be. "Is this about your baby?"

"Her, yes," David answered sadly, brushing his hand through the back of his hair. "Her and the rest of them that you'll never get to meet."

Leo felt for his brother. The pain was obvious in David's voice, but Leo also needed to know the whole story. "David, what happened?"

David finally looked up at Leo, letting his little brother see his own reddening eyes. "We lost her too soon. Her heart just wasn't strong enough. Anna and I lost her and it drove us apart for good."

Leo reached his hand foreword, hoping to offer some comfort, but the plexiglass wouldn't let him rest his hand on his brother's shoulder like he wanted to._ I'm so sorry, David. I never should have left you alone_. "Who are the rest of them, David? How did you get locked up in here?"

David stared blankly through the glass, his mind looking a million miles away again.

"Please, David?"

"There was this woman," David started slowly and painfully. "Her name was Krystal. We had a thing a long time ago, before I knew you, and she had twin daughters: Babe and Marissa. I didn't know about anything until she moved to Pine Valley after you had left. I even had a grandson from Babe." David wiped away some tears before he could continue. "But I drove them all away. I messed up over and over and they all couldn't stand me anymore."

"Okay, so what happened to them?"

"They were all staying in the Chandler mansion with Adam. He wanted all of it: my grandson, Krystal." David paused again as tears started to fall from his face, a sight Leo was shocked to see. _I don't think I've ever seen David cry before_.

"There was an explosion one night… the mansion and everyone in it was gone." David paused again, this time his voice became a mixture of pain and anger when he started to speak again. "They were all there that night; it was murder, I know it. The police ruled it an accident because they are too stupid to figure out any actual crimes. I tried to figure it out, to know who took my family away, and they locked me up for tampering with evidence. They wanted to get me for the explosion too. I know that whole town out there thinks I killed them because I was after Adam, but when I went to find the truth they stuck me in here."

"I know this is going to be hard to hear, David. But if it's true that you are a week from getting out of here, you can have your second chance to start again. Your entire family isn't gone, David. I'm here for you and Greenlee will be here for you, because we both love you."

"My love is a curse," David countered abruptly. "I'm poison to everyone around me."

Leo sighed as his brother broke eye contact again. _How can I take away your pain?_

"Is Greenlee doing alright?" David muttered quickly.

"She's great – she would love to see you; so would your niece and nephew."

"Niece and nephew!" David yelled angrily, but tears of pain still filled his eyes. "No! I told you I'm poison! Everyone near me gets hurt! If you love your children you need to keep them away from me for their own good!"

David threw down the phone and stormed away. Leo sat still for a moment trying to process what just happened. His brother was in so much pain and shutting himself off from the only family he had left. _I love you, David. Let me help you_. He took a deep breath and stood up to leave.

"Don't take it so hard," a guard told him as he turned to walk out. "Hayward's had depression issues for some time."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Leo answered with a half-smile as he walked past. _He also has a family that loves him and cares about him. I wish he could see that._


	3. Dinner Party

"Remember, no David talk tonight," Greenlee whispered to her husband to make sure that the kids didn't hear her. Holly and David Jr. had to be their number one priority and having an uncle too messed up to even want to see them was not something they needed to hear about. She also wanted to enjoy spending time with old friends – a new situation for Greenlee given her lack of close friends over the years. "I'm worried about David too, but we're going to have fun tonight. Capisce!"

"You got it, Wifey," Leo answered playfully, using one of his many nicknames for her to show her he could play nice tonight despite his unnerving visit with his older brother.

"Good," she laughed back. _Why do I like that name so much?_

She pondered that thought, oblivious to the fact that her husband and two children had already gotten out of the car.

"Leo!" she called, running out after her family. "One more thing. Promise me you are going to behave yourself with Jake?"

Leo slanted his head at her with one of his don't you know me at all looks. "Please, Greens, ancient history. Besides, you know I can charm my way through anything."

"Promise me anyway," she insisted. She lifted herself onto her toes to whisper in his ear: "And we can save all the naughty behavior for later."

"Well in that case you have my solemn word, vow, and promise so help me God."

"Mom," David Jr. interrupted them, clearly not very excited about their dinner plans. "Let's just go do this already!"

"David!" Holly rebuked her little brother. "These are Mom's oldest friends so be nice and try to have fun!"

Leo chuckled. _That girl is going to be a damn good mother someday_.

David pouted and crossed his arms. "Fine! But I bet you this is going to be boring."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Leo told him after knocking on the door. "See Greens, I'm not the one you need to worry about."

Simone opened the door and greeted the duPres family with a big smile. "Hey guys! Come on in!"

Leo greeted his hostess with a kiss on the cheek and Greenlee followed with a hug before handing her a bottle of wine. "Wow, you guys don't come cheap!" Simone exclaimed, admiring the bottle. "I'll go bring this to the kitchen. Just wait here a second."

Simone turned around towards the empty hallway. "Dylan!" she called.

No answer.

"Dylan!" She called louder.

A dark haired boy soon emerged wearing shorts, a tee shirt, and a Philadelphia Eagles hat.

"Dylan, this is Holly and David," Simone introduced the boy to his age group first. "Can you please take them and their parents to the living room where everyone is?"

"And then can I get back to my game?" Dylan asked. "I don't want to hang out with the adults. And I was just about to win the Super Bowl in Madden 18!"

"You have Madden 18!" David's eyes lit up. "Can I play with you? Please?"

Greenlee noticed the look of triumph Holly had on her face and smirked in satisfaction. _Not so boring anymore, huh?_

Simone told Dylan it was okay and took the bottle of wine away. Dylan led the four of them into the living room to see some familiar faces sitting there before running out with David to get back to his video game.

The living room was a large rectangular room. A couple of three seat couches lay against two of the walls and a pair of lazy boy chairs sat next to each other across from a third.

"Leo!" Tad Martin cheerily jumped up from his seat and shook the taller man's hand. "I'm sure you remember my not so dead wife," he joked, as Dixie stood up to greet them.

"Dixie," Leo greeted her. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Now _they_ are on marriage number four," Simone quipped as she entered the room with Jake.

"I'm just in and out to say hi," Jake told the group. "Tad can take care of all the pre-food jokes without me."

"Jake has grown a sense of humor since you guys left," Simone told Leo and Greenlee while proudly patting her man's arm.

"Always knew you had it in you," Greenlee told Jake and walked towards him to give him a hug. Leo also came over and shook his hand, noticing how much his look had changed over the years. His dark hair was almost buzz cut short and he was now sporting something close to a goatee. His visit was as short as he promised, immediately heading back towards the kitchen.

"You know who will be doing all the cooking in this family," Simone pointed out. "So does everyone know each other yet?"

"Not quite," a man with a British accent spoke up.

"Aidan, right?" Greenlee asked.

"Oh yeah, you're Anna's nephew," Leo remembered. "Yeah, I don't think we ever officially met. Leo duPres." Leo extended his hand for the Brit. "My wife Greenlee, and this is my daughter Holly."

"A Pleasure," Aidan greeted them all. He motioned for the light haired woman who had been sitting next to him to stand up. "My wife Annie."

"So nice to meet you," Annie greeted them with a wide smile. "_Leo_, you said? And _Greenlee_? What an unusual name."

Tad motioned for Holly to come over to him. "Hey squirt, you don't mind if I call you squirt do you? I think I have a better idea for you than being stuck hanging out with us boring old fogies."

"Don't freak her out too much, Tad," Dixie warned him with a sly smile.

Tad acted out a gasp. "Would I do such a thing? Anyway, Holly, how old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"Well, I know a couple of older girls that would love to take you under their wing for tonight, what do you think?"

"Sure, sounds like fun," Holly good naturedly answered. She was excited about the possibilities of a new place and new people and definitely wanted to make the most of it.

"Alright then," Tad told her before whistling loudly multiple times, calling out a girls' name between whistles: "Kathy!"

Before long, two teenage girls appeared in the room. "Kathy, honey," Tad greeted the shorter one. "This is Holly duPres. You think you can do something between giving each other death stares and dressing each other in toilet paper?"

"Come on, Dad, I was only 6 years old! Are you ever going to let that go?"

"I love you hair!" the taller girl with short blonde hair told Holly. "It's beautiful! Definite possibilities here. I'm Emma by the way."

"Holly," Holly smiled up at her. _I like these girls_.

"In the spirit of the somewhat normal practice though," Tad asked Kathy, pointing towards Leo and Greenlee. "Can you go introduce yourself to those two standing over there first?"

"No problem," she answered. Emma and Holly followed her over to in between Greenlee, Leo, Annie, Aidan, and Simone and watched her introduce herself.

"You can say hello too," Annie told Emma. Greenlee had to look up at the teenager as she introduced herself. Leo still towered over her and shook her hand.

"Okay, okay, everyone please have a seat," Simone insisted. "Make yourselves comfortable."

"So let me get this straight," Leo started, parking himself in one of the lazy boy chairs, his wife taking the other one. "Kathy is the girl Dixie was pregnant with when she died the good old Pine Valley way, right?"

"She got her good looks from her old man, can't you tell?" Tad quipped. "Didn't the flowing golden hair give it away?"

Dixie laughed and lightly pushed on his side. "Yep, that's all you, Tad."

"And Emma is yours?" Leo asked Aidan and Annie.

"Just hers," Aidan answered. "It's a long story."

"I'm interested," Greenlee responded, feigning interest for the sake of being social in her friend's house. "Give me the cliff notes." It was like she tried to teach Bianca that one time: the way to get through a party is to smile and nod your way through while only pretending to hear what other people have to say; actually listening is optional.

"Okay," Annie answered, still smiling widely. "I had Emma while I was living in New York. But her father, my ex-husband Terry, turned into the worst kind of creep so Emma and I came here to get away from him." She turned her head to Aidan and tenderly held his hand in both of hers. "And when he followed us, Aidan here protected us and we fell in love and lived happily ever after." She kissed her husband on the cheek. "My hero."

"That sounds like a great love story," Leo respectfully commented.

"Could that woman be any sweeter?" Greenlee whispered to Leo in disgust. "If she would smile any wider we should paint her face white and glue on a big red nose."

"Play nice, Greens," Leo whispered back, but kept a smile on his face for the rest of the room. "Nice now, other behavior later." It didn't surprise him at all that she would already be finding things not to like about a new acquaintance, but for some reason he loved that little quirk about her. He liked that it was hard for her to let new people in, but once she did there was no one you would rather have on your side.

Greenlee wanted to protest but melted before her husband instead. _Why do you have to be so damn gorgeous?_

"We've been married for nine years now," Aidan finished off the story. "Nowadays, when Tad feels like getting off his rocker, he helps me out in my PI work."

"Ouch," Tad put both his hands over his heart, overacting feeling hurt.

"And Annie here is in charge of marketing at Enchantment," Aidan finished, purposely ignoring Tad's jest. He could get him with one-liners, but he was no match for Tad in a battle of wisecracks if it went any longer than that.

"That place still exits?" Greenlee muttered unenthusiastically. Leo was the only one who caught it and gave her a sharp look to let her know it.

"So Simone," Leo turned the conversation in a different direction. "Greens and I would love to hear about the only couple here not yet married; and who David's new video game partner is."

Greenlee smiled and sat up alert again in her chair. _Now this is what I'm interested in_.

"Jake won't mind," Dixie encouraged Simone.

"More like relieved about missing the storytelling," Tad cracked.

"We aren't some fairy tale like Annie and Aidan," Simone modestly told the group. She paused, hoping she hadn't lost her audience already, but got a boast of courage by noticing that Leo and Greenlee both looked legitimately interested.

"Okay, so Dylan. Dylan is Jake's. He just turned ten last week."

"He's a cute one," Greenlee pointed out.

"I know, he's adorable," Simone agreed. "So when you guys left, Jake was already seeing Mia. Well, they got married actually and that's where Dylan came from. But they realized too late they had a lot of issues; both of them were so crazed on settling down that they rushed into it and figured that would make everything okay. They stuck through some hard times, but soon after Dylan was born, Mia ran off without a word. Jake tried to track her down, but the only contact he ever had with her again was through the lawyer who took care of the divorce."

"Poor Jake, that's horrible," Greenlee offered sincere concern about what her friend went through.

"Jake was heartbroken," Simone continued. "He and I had become friends through the hospital; I did some work getting some literature published for them and we spent some time together because of that, but when Mia left we got really close, you know – trying to help him through it and to pitch in with Dylan; he really had no idea how to raise a kid and the doctor thing didn't give him a lot of free time either. So we stuck by each other for a while; we both had a couple disastrous relationships the next few years. And then, I don't know, last year something just clicked for us. It was like we both realized at the same time that the right person for us was really right in front of us the whole time."

Greenlee and Leo smiled at each other, Tad put his arm around Dixie, and Annie moved her hand onto Aidan's knee.

"Aww, Simone, don't get our guests all teary eyed _before_ the food," Jake interrupted, standing in the doorway.

"Oh shut up, Jake," Simone playfully countered.

"So while the happy groom is busy being Mr. big shot chief of staff," Greenlee inquired. "What's our happy bride-to-be up to these days?"

"I've been teaching writing classes at PV High," she answered. "But I'm taking this term off to plan the wedding. Yeah, I know, me a _teacher_."

Jake came up behind his fiancé and put his arms around her. "Honey, I came in here to say the food is ready so let's move this party to the dinning room, okay?"

"Alright, go tell all the kids we're ready. I need a second with Greenlee."

"Oh, but I wanted to hear their story," Annie sounded disappointed, turning her attention to Leo and Greenlee. "Like how did you two meet? And what were you doing since you left Pine Valley? I bet you have some great stories!"

"It'll have to be part of our dinner conversation," Leo told her, eagerly standing up to follow Jake's instructions. After going straight from the long drive up here to seeing David at rock bottom, if there was one thing Leo knew it was that he was _hungry_.

"Can't wait to see how bad you messed up dinner this time, little brother," Tad joked with Jake as they walked out. The rest of the group followed, except for Greenlee who stayed behind with Simone.

"What did you need to tell me, Simone?"

"Well," Simone began nervously. "How long are you guys staying in Pine Valley?"

"We planned on spending the year here. We still have our old penthouse, so we thought we would see how it goes and after that we'll decide what to do as a family."

The excitement immediately showed up on Simone's face. "Great! So you can come to the wedding! You will come right?"

"Name the time and the place and I'm there."

"Oh, this is so great!" Simone hugged her friend. "Then there is one more thing I need to ask you. I would really love it… I mean, it would be such an honor if you would be a bridesmaid at my wedding."

Greenlee felt touched by the request and brushed a tear out of her eye. _I've never been asked to do something like that before! Hell, the closet thing I've had to being at a real friend's wedding was for Haley, and she only invited me because she was my boss! _"I would love to."

"Yes!" Simone cried out enthusiastically and hugged her again – _hard_. "Thank you! But now here's the catch: Annie is also a bridesmaid so if you two could be friendly, I would be so thankful."

"But she's so…" Greenlee rolled her eyes thinking about the most appropriate un-insulting thing she could say. "… sugary sweet."

Simone laughed at her friend. "Yeah, I knew you would say that; but she's a good person. Do it for me?"

"Okay," Greenlee sighed. "For you, I'll try my best."

"But now the hard part…"

Simone had a hopeful but nervous expression. Greenlee could tell this is the request she was building towards making.

"Annie isn't my only other bridesmaid. There is also Kendall Hart."

Greenlee's eyes winded. _You don't really expect me to play nice with that walking pogo stick do you?_

Simone noticed and picked up her pleading. "Please, Greens. Kendall is like, my best friend now and I would really love it if you two could get along. Please?"

Greenlee took a deep breath to try and stall, but Simone's pleading eyes couldn't let her say no.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it."

"You promise?"

"Promise. But you owe me big time for this."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," Simone told her in a very relieved voice. "You can find Kendall at Enchantment. She and Bianca run the place now."

"Ladies!" Jake's voice called out from the dinning room. "If you're really that worried about keeping your figure we can eat without you!"

Simone chuckled and put her arm around Greenlee. "It's good to have you back."


	4. The Calm Before the Storm

"I don't get it," David Jr. asked, looking around at what to him was no more than a little shack by some water. "Where are we?"

"The greatest place on earth," his mother answered.

Greenlee euphorically inhaled the old familiar air of the boathouse. She had been looking forward to this moment ever since they decided to come back up here and was thrilled to see everything the same way she remembered it. A small boat sat in the familiar spot right at the edge of Willow Lake, the rusty old stairs were somehow all still in place, and the standing hollow pieces of wood were still there right were she had left them. _I was standing on that when Leo told me he loved me._

David watched his mother bend down to softly rub her hands on the floorboards and looked at her like she was crazy. "Dad, what's with Mom acting like a weirdo?"

Leo looked down at his son through his tired eyes. It was way too early in the morning to do anything but indulge his wife, and it's not like he and Greenlee had done much sleeping the night before anyway. "You wouldn't understand, buddy. It's a girl thing."

"Oh, quit being such a guy," Greenlee cheerily shot back at her husband. "You love this place just as much as I do."

Leo fought off his natural urge to make fun of her. She was also right after all – he really did love this place – but he wasn't going to get all affectionate with pieces of wood like his wife was doing. _I love watching her wear that amazing smile; let her reminisce in peace_.

"Well, _I_ want to know what's so special about this place," Holly predictably spoke up; exactly what Greenlee was counting on. Holly, always a sucker for romance, had been asking to hear the real story about her parents since she found out who they all really were, and Greenlee was hoping to have someone to gush with.

"Hey, David," Leo told his son. "Why don't we leave the girls alone while they do their sappy thing and us guys can go take the boat out for a spin, huh, what do you think?"

"Cool!" David responded, excitedly running into the boat.

"The place is all yours, Greens," Leo turned to his wife, before following David out onto the boat.

"So tell me!" Holly got all excited. "Why is this place so special for you and Daddy?"

Greenlee took a seat on the bench parallel to the stairs. "This was our refuge, sweetie," Greenlee answered, still feeling a little chocked up at being back in this place again. "This was the place we always came to when the world out there got too crazy."

Holly pushed herself onto one of the hollow "stools" across from her mother. Greenlee tilted her head and blushed affectionately. "That's where I was when your daddy told me he loved me."

"I'm sitting in the same spot you were sitting when Daddy first told you he loved you? Wow, this is so cool!"

"Well no, not exactly," Greenlee backtracked. She definitely did not want to explain to Holly the whole Laura mess and why Leo's declaration of love that specific time was so special. "This was right before he asked me to marry him."

"So this is where you got engaged and that started your happily ever after!" Holly excitedly persisted.

"Well no, not exactly," Greenlee answered again. _This isn't going the way I thought it would._

Holly looked confused and rightfully so.

"Okay, scratch all that," Greenlee tried to start over. "Trust me, your parent's story is better than anything you've read in one of your books, but there is no way I can tell you the whole story yet so how about I tell you one reason why this place is so special?"

Holly leaned forward, paying 100% attention to her mother.

"So your dad and I were all set to get married in a big beautiful church, complete with a horse drawn carriage and live doves. But everything started going wrong; like the church that we were going to get married in got flooded, so we had to find a new place to get married. We decided to have the wedding at the Valley Inn – a hotel in town – but we both realized that the big fancy wedding wasn't what we really wanted so we ran away."

"In the middle of the wedding?"

"Right as they were playing 'Here Comes the Bride," Greenlee laughed. "Your father looked so amazing in a tux. My wedding dress wasn't too shabby either; we have some pictures back at the loft if you want to see them later. But anyway, where was I? Oh right, we ran away from our big wedding. Your father asked me to wait in the park for him and when he came back he promised he would show me what he was doing. He had me close my eyes and brought me here. This entire boathouse was arranged with the most beautiful flowers and he had candles lined up all around us – and right here was were we got married. It was the most perfect day!" Greenlee sighed and leaned back as she fondly remembered: "_My life is yours – forever_."

"That sounds so beautiful! I would love to have a wedding like that myself!"

"Sure," Greenlee responded. "But remember, there's no rush, okay? I'm warning you, strange things happen in this town, and my only daughter getting married before she gets to high school doesn't have to be one of them."

Now it was Holly's turn to blush, but her cell phone rang before she had to respond. "It's Alyssa," Holly told her mother after looking at the screen. "She told me she was going to call to find out how everything was going up here. Do you mind if I…?"

"No, not at all," Greenlee responded. "Talk to your friend. And then I promise I'll tell you all the non x rated stuff about how your parents fell in love." She proudly watched Holly answer her phone and animatedly catch up with her friend. Greenlee swore that if Holly had been born in Pine Valley, she would be convinced that some nurse must have switched her baby with someone else's. _How did I raise a daughter so not like me? She's kind, and good natured, and actually has friends!_

Greenlee looked out towards the water and saw Leo and David goofing around in the boat about 40 feet out into Willow Lake. When she met Leo eighteen years ago, she had no idea life would turn out like this. _How did I get so lucky?_

Out on the boat, David splashed one last shot of water onto his father. After Leo had threatened to dunk him into the lake, it was only fair to get some payback.

"Okay, mercy, I cave," Leo pleaded. "You win. I'll give you an answer to whatever it is you wanted to know if you let me stay a little bit dry."

David Jr. looked his father straight in the eye: "Why can't I see Uncle David?"

Leo's heart sunk. He was thinking that David just wanted to know what Greenlee's obsession with the boathouse was; he never considered this. Leo uncomfortably scratched the hair on the back of his head and thought long and hard about what to tell his son.

"Dad, we had a deal," David reminded him.

"Okay, we did..." Leo resolved himself to his fate. "When I saw your Uncle David yesterday, he was in really bad shape. He's just not ready to see you yet… not cause he doesn't want to. I mean, he loves you and your sister very much. But he has just been through such a hard time lately that he's not really in a good place to see anyone right now. Maybe once he gets out of jail he'll be ready. Does that make any sense?"

David couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. He wanted to meet the man he was named after; the one his parents told him about during the car ride to Pine Valley.

"I'll give you a second question for free," Leo told him, realizing his half-truth probably didn't help.

"You can tell me why Mom was acting so crazy over some pieces of wood?" David asked again, sure that the reason his father didn't give him a straight answer before was because he wanted to stay on Mom's good side – which David had learned was a very good place to be.

"This place just has a lot of good memories for your mom. And I think she really needs the whole peaceful aura of this place before she has to be on her best behavior to see an old friend this afternoon."

----------

Simone worked on her fiancé's front, buttoning up his shirt after purposely taking her time gliding her hands over his chest.

"You seem quite chipper this morning," Jake commented as he worked on fixing his collar. "It's almost like you're happy or something."

"I just can't believe that life is finally working out for both of us," Simone cheerfully responded. "I mean, before long I'm going to be Mrs. Jake Martin!"

"And I'll be Mr. Simone Torres," Jake lightheartedly indulged her.

"And now that Greenlee is here to celebrate with me…"

"Yep, that's pretty cool too," Jake agreed.

"I don't know, but it makes me so happy! Everything couldn't be more perfect for us, Jake."

"As long as Kendall and Greenlee aren't fighting over bridesmaids dresses, I think we're all systems go on the way to perfect wedding-day-ville," Jake responded with a smile, but his tone was unenthusiastic.

"What?" Simone picked up on his attitude. "You think something is going to go wrong, don't you? You're the guy here, Jake. You're supposed to be my happy and optimistic rock that tells me that everything is just wedding jitters and it's all going to be okay; don't mess with my head."

Jake immediately regretted his tone. "I'm sorry, baby," he gave his fiancé a kiss, but even after backing his lips off of hers he kept his hands on her neck, holding her head still and forcing her to look into his calming eyes. "The wedding will be perfect, I promise you. It's going to be the happiest day of both our lives. But don't get too enthused just yet about having happy sidekicks; trying to get Greenlee and Kendall to get along could be asking for trouble."

Simone moved her face forward and leaned her forehead against his. "People can heal, Doctor. I have faith."

"All part of why I love you," Jake smiled back. He kissed Simone goodbye and headed for the door.

"Go save some lives, Doc!" she called after him.


	5. Links and Kenlee Take II

"Oh my God, Leo!" Bianca warmly greeted her old friend with a big hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Leo hugged her back, letting out a deep breath as he did. Until that very moment, he didn't realize just how much he had really missed her. "Back at ya, Binks. You're looking as hot as ever."

"Why thank you, Leo," Bianca beamed, brushing her dark medium length hair behind her ears. "I almost fainted when you called last night, I thought someone was playing some cruel joke on me for a minute, but wow… it's really you. Come in, come in," Bianca encouraged Leo and Holly to feel right at home in her house. "So you must be Holly?" Bianca confirmed about the young girl by Leo's side. "Aren't we missing someone?"

"We dropped David off with Simone. Sorry, Binks, but you're no match for video games with Dylan Martin."

"No offense taken," Bianca replied, leading her two guests inside.

"I really appreciate you taking the afternoon off for me," Leo told his former best friend.

"Considering I'm practically my own boss," Bianca laughed him off. "This was a no-brainer."

The three of them entered the kitchen where a girl was sitting by a laptop. "Miranda, sweetie, I want you to meet the girl I told you about. This is Holly duPres – she is going to be part of your class when eighth grade starts next week."

Miranda approached Holly while Leo's mouth hung open in shock. He caught them saying hello and maybe something about cute boys their age in Pine Valley. They ran off to Miranda's room to talk some more before Leo even knew what hit him.

Bianca laughed at Leo's frozen expression of astonishment. "Looks like the girls hit it off," she told him, trying to get his attention.

Leo violently shook his head to snap himself out of his funk. "I'm sorry, but when you told me on the phone that you had a daughter, I really thought _you_ were joking. Have you gone straight on me or something?"

Bianca wanted to tell him everything, he deserved that much. After all, who was the first one that she could be open with about her sexuality all those years ago? Leo! Even though she hadn't seen him in years, she still trusted him completely. But that didn't make talking about it any less painful, even though the rest of her world already knew all about it.

It only took a second for Leo to read her face and realize he wasn't going to get a fluffy answer, if one at all. "You know what? Forget I even asked."

Bianca walked over to a drawer and pulled out an old newspaper article and handed it to Leo without saying a word. Leo glanced at the title – something about a guy named Michael Cambias. He read the article of the story of the Cambias takeover of Enchantment, Michael's rape of the daughter of Enchantment founder Erica Kane – one Bianca Montgomery, and the boy wonder's demise.

Leo looked up at his friend with all the concern in the world. First it was David now it was Bianca – why did such terrible things have to happen to all the people he cared about while he was away?

"I wish I could have been here for you, Bianca," he told her apologetically.

"I know," she responded softly. "But I was hopping for something more lighthearted for a reunion. Don't feel sad about it because now I have Miranda and I love her more than anything in the world."

Leo looked at her proudly, admiring her positive outlook on life. "Wow, look at you, Binks. You've grown into quite the woman."

"And you? How have you grown?"

"Haven't," Leo joked. "I think Holly is more mature than both her parents combined."

Bianca and Leo both grinned before simultaneously breaking out in laughter.

"Ah, that's better," Bianca slapped Leo playfully on the arm. "Oh God, the two of you as parents… I mean, I could picture you as trying to be the cool dad that lets the kids stay up late, but I could never ever picture Greenlee Smythe as somebody's mother."

"Oh, she's the best mother, just a bit overprotective," Leo replied, grabbing some chips from a bag left out on the kitchen table. "If I return Holly with even a single scratch on her, she will have your head… and then mine."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Leo."

"Who said I was joking?" Leo winked at her as he munched on the chips. "This one time, when Holly was little, and some girl cut her on line to go on the slide… I swear Greenlee was going to physically attack that poor kid's mother if I hadn't gotten us out of there."

"Never a dull moment with Greenlee," Bianca faked a smile. She respected the fact the Leo loved her, and it's not like she had forgotten how Greenlee saved her life the day Vanessa escaped, but it was still _Greenlee_. "But Leo, you're truly happy?"

Leo smiled. "Perfectly. I've got Greens, I've got Holly, I've got David Jr. – no more psychotic mother to worry about either. Life is good. How about you?"

"Perfectly," Bianca echoed her friend's words. "I've got Miranda and a family that isn't at each other's throats anymore. It's pretty sweet."

"No special girl in your life?" Leo asked.

"Not at the moment," Bianca answered. "But I'm okay with that right now. I mean, Maggie and I had a tough breakup when we tried it again…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Leo stopped her. Today was just full of surprises so far. "Maggie? _My cousin_ Maggie?"

"Don't think about it too much, Leo; it'll make your head hurt. Just accept it and move on."

"Okay, shutting up," Leo told her. _What universe did I step back into?_

"I'm happy," Bianca reiterated. "I'm in a peaceful place right now with Miranda and Enchantment – it's all good."

"Right, Enchantment," Leo remembered where his wife was off to as they spoke. "So you and Kendall working together, huh? How is that working out?"

"Great," Bianca answered. "Kendall and I get along great now. But Kendall worries me sometimes."

"What do you mean, Binks? I mean, Greenlee is going over there right now because Simone has this crazy idea that fire and ice can co-exist. Should I expect a bloodbath?"

"What! Greenlee is going there now?" an astonished Bianca repeated Leo question with her eyes growing wide. "Oh boy, I might have to get a hold of the security tapes for that one."

"So I should be worried?" Leo wanted clarification.

"I don't know," Bianca started to wonder the same thing herself. "Kendall has also changed a lot, and if Simone wants them to get along, she would probably do it for her."

"But you said that Kendall worries you sometimes? What did you mean?"

"Oh no, I didn't mean anything bad," Bianca assured him. "But she has some happiness issues."

"About a guy of course," Leo assumed.

"Of course. He happens to be the majority owner of Enchantment… Zach Slater."

----------

Their eyes were locked once again.

"I'm sorry," Zach Slater's rough voice apologized as he removed his hand from on top of Kendall's. He only meant to reach for one of the financial reports on top of Miss Hart's desk, and it just so happened that Kendall was reaching for the same file at the same time. The result was another awkward moment in what was supposed to be Mr. Slater's weekly briefing. Of course, he was around Enchantment a lot more than that though.

"Yeah, sure," Kendall faked a smile and tried to go on with the meeting. "So as you can see, our end of summer push has been successful and it should be enough to bring us up from this point last year."

"Uh huh," Zach nodded. He had been focusing pretty well on the business stuff until about a minute ago. Now he couldn't think of anything else besides the beautiful woman in front of him.

Kendall brushed some sweat off of her forehead with a nearby tissue. Only Zach could make her break into a sweat with a mere look. She cursed her sister for leaving early. _This would be so much easier if Bianca was here._

"Excuse me, Miss Hart," her secretary's voice came through the intercom. "A Greenlee duPres is here to see you. Shall I send her in?"

"Please do, thanks," Kendall answered trying to hide her relief from Zach. Somehow she needed to end this meeting. She couldn't trust herself with Zach – not after how he had hurt her in the past – and working with him constantly made it impossible for her old feelings to ever completely go away. "Sorry, Zach, but this is a dear old friend," she lied. "And we've gone over all the important stuff anyway."

"Oh, I see," Zach stood up disappointed. He buttoned up the bottom of his suit jacket, and then extended his hand to Kendall to officially end the meeting with a handshake. "Thank you for your time, Kendall."

Kendall insecurely stood up, feeling very self-conscious in front of Zach. She extended her hand for his to snake and…

"Crap!" she yelled as she watched the tray of paper on her desk fall over onto the floor. "Clumsy idiot!" she whispered to herself.

"I got it," Zach volunteered in his normal stoic manner.

"No, it's fine. I got it," Kendall told him, feeling very frustrated with herself.

Both knelt down to pick up the loose paper, gathering them up until one remained. They both put their hands on it simultaneously and their eyes locked once again as they sat with their knees on the floor. Kendall felt herself leaning in towards his lips against her better judgment.

"Am I interrupting something?" the familiar voice of a petite woman broke up the moment.

Zach slowly made his way to his feet, not giving off any impression of feeling uncomfortable by this new woman's presence. Kendall on the other hand had shot herself upright, and had began aggressively putting her desk back in order, desperately overcompensating for being found in a compromising position.

"Excuse me, Ms. duPres," Zach stated matter of factly as he past the shorter woman and left the office.

"He's cute," she commented on who she assumed was Kendall's boy toy. "No Leo, but cute; if you're into the whole dark and rugged thing anyway."

"Leo hasn't left you yet?" Kendall defensively made the snide comment, still trying to fix up her desk and avoid eye contact. "I thought he would be sick of you by now."

Greenlee laughed her off and made herself comfortable on the chair in front of Kendall's desk and put her feet up.

"I thought I'd never be back in this room," she told Kendall, admiring the giant office that used to belong to Erica Kane. "I must say, it looks a lot nicer without the blowup pictures of LaKane all over the place."

Kendall pushed Greenlee's feet off of her desk, not appreciating the petite woman acting like she owned the place.

"Don't get so comfortable, Greenlee. This is my office now."

"Oh please, Kendall," Greenlee smiled slyly, enjoying watching Kendall acting so frazzled. "After some of the stuff I've done in this office I should hope I would feel comfortable here. And by the looks of things when I walked in here, you probably know exactly what I mean."

Kendall didn't appreciate the attitude coming from Greenlee, especially coming off her meeting with Zach. "Look you spoiled little midget," Kendall warned her. "You can't just waltz in here anymore like you own the place. This is my turf – my office. You got that?"

"Relax, Kendall," Greenlee chuckled, pleased with herself that she could still get under Kendall's skin. "I come in peace, thanks to your friend Simone."

"Yeah," Kendall calmed herself down and took her seat behind her desk. "She told me you would be coming by."

A couple seconds of awkward silence went by as neither could think of anything nice to say to the other.

"So Simone wants us to get along," Kendall bobbled her head, trying to come up with some way to start.

"Any ideas?" Greenlee asked. "I mean, what do people who get along like to talk about?"

"Their lives, I guess," Kendall suggested after spending a couple seconds with her hand over her chin in thought.

"Hmm." Now it was Greenlee's turn to think. "You can tell me how you got yourself into that chair; big step up from being my errand girl."

"I was not…" Kendall caught herself in mid protest. _I'm going to behave myself for Simone no matter how smug and annoying she is._

"Okay, I'm sorry; my assistant," Greenlee corrected herself, sounding as sincerely apologetic as she could. _I'm going to behave myself for Simone no matter how territorial and irritating she is._

"So how did you take over Erica's seat as the queen bee?"

"Erica got bored with Enchantment," Kendall answered. "She couldn't stand the lack of competition and started neglecting the company completely. When it was in tailspin, that's when the Cambias takeover started. I had put myself in charge when Erica went AWOL and forged everything I could to make it look like I had significant stock in this company to give myself access to Michael Cambias."

"Where you used your feminine wiles I'm sure."

"Of course," Kendall explained. "He thought he was using me as I used him. It was a great deal until the bastard ended up dead. I got a fake marriage certificate to get back the Cambias shares for myself but then a new heir showed up: Ethan. So I pulled the same stunt on him and got him all the way down the isle."

"You sure got around in the name of the company," Greenlee commented. Kendall was feeding her golden nuggets, but she had to let the better jokes go – for Simone.

"If everything you cared about was on the line, don't tell me you would be above sleeping around to get what you wanted," Kendall shot back.

"Alright," Greenlee concurred after thinking about it for a minute. "If the company I put my heart and soul into was on the line, I probably would have done the same thing – but not if I still had Leo of course."

"Good. Some understanding." Kendall looked proud of herself for a moment before her expression turned down a little. _Already went this far. I might as well tell her everything._ "But Ethan's father showed up out of the blue, making him the real Cambias heir. So I ditched Ethan like a bad rash and tried to buddy up to this guy. But I started to kind of like him and got too emotionally involved around the time he figured out the original scheme – that Erica still owned half the company – and he started going after her. They got married actually, but he was never in love with her." Kendall sighed and looked away, still feeling a little bitter from that part of the story. _He really hurt me_.

"So he played your game better than you did," Greenlee interjected her own thoughts into Kendall's story.

Kendall gave her old enemy a dirty look but stopped herself before saying something she would regret. _Don't say anything. Just be nice for Simone_.

"When the inevitable divorce came," Kendall continued on, "He got half of Erica's shares in Enchantment and Erica gave her other half to Bianca and me; Erica didn't want any more connection to it, but she stuck in a clause that her daughters could run operations for as long as the company is profitable. Truth is it hasn't always been since then, but the boss is happy enough with us that he has kept us in charge."

Greenlee nodded but hadn't really heard the end of Kendall's story. Something on her desk had caught Greenlee's eye. "Who is that?" she asked, pointing at a picture of Kendall and some boy in a baseball hat.

"That's Justin," Kendall blushed. "He's… my son. You got kids now, Greenlee?"

"Two," Greenlee beamed. "But hold on a minute. You didn't mention any children in your sleeping around story."

"That's because he comes after it," Kendall sternly gave her some clarification. "I was in Rome on business one weekend for Enchantment eight years ago, and well… I ran into Ryan."

Greenlee covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. "Lavery? You have a kid with I fall in love with anything in a skirt Lavery? Let me guess: phantom father?"

"Hey! When I found out I was pregnant, I tried to find him and tell him!" Kendall became increasingly frustrated as her emotions started to get the better of her. "It's not his fault he doesn't know!"

"This about the man who will fall for anyone who looks vulnerable," Greenlee shook her head in disappointment. "Just a hunch: were you having a tough weekend? Had you just seen your little crush with your mother and that had you feeling all wounded before your trip? And you ran into Ryan who just had to _comfort_ you?" Greenlee mocked her choice of one night stand, making sure to use air quotes on the word _comfort_. "Cause that's the kind of girl he likes, Kendall; right up there with mourning widows – but I guess Ryan never told you about that one, huh?"

"Bitch!"

"I'm just telling like it is, Kendall," Greenlee shrugged, now remembering why she couldn't stand this girl most of the time. In the back of her mind though, she could admit to herself that it was her fault for setting Kendall off. But that didn't mean Greenlee was backing away from a fight.

"You don't anything about me or my life!" Kendall countered.

"I know I haven't slept my way through an entire family!" Greenlee shot back.

"I can't believe I was ever going to try and be nice to such a smug, pompous little twit like you!"

"So says the mattress of Pine Valley! Look at me Kendall. This is the face of a woman who is happy – being with the _one_ man you love does that!"

"Why you little…" Kendall's eyes were bulging in anger. "… you cardboard cutout… good for nothing… no fashion sense…"

"Take that back!" Greenlee gasped. "Take that back right now!"

"Thank God there are only two of your demon spawn running around," Kendall picked up steam. "Even two of your mini-midgets are too many!"

Greenlee opened her mouth to retort but she could feel the tears filling up her eyes.

"What? No snappy comeback!" Kendall continued to spar. "You going soft in your _old age_?"

Greenlee quickly turned around and fled the office. _I'm not going to let her see me cry_. She ran all the way out into the parking lot before whipping out her cell phone and calling the first number on her speed dial – the only person who could make her feel better about this.

"Leo," she sniffed and brushed away some tears rolling down her cheek. "I need you _right now_."


	6. Burying the Past

The minister nervously checked his watch again: 1:30pm. This was getting very frustrating. _What's taking these people so long? I have a wedding to be at in fifteen minutes!_ He walked over to the tall and handsome looking relative of the deceased. "Excuse me, sir, but I have somewhere I need to be. Can we please get started?"

Leo took a glance at his watch and then shuffled his hand through the back of his hair. "Can you please give us maybe five more minutes?"

"It's way too late, Leo," Greenlee rubbed her hand up and down her husband's arm. "David isn't coming."

Leo realized that he shouldn't be too surprised. None of them were too fond of Vanessa, but this was still her funeral. No matter how evil she was, both of her sons should still be there.

"Please, just a couple more minutes?"

"I'm sorry, I can't," the minister responded sternly.

Leo sighed. _Where the hell are you, David?_ "Okay, look," he finally told the minister. "Thank you for waiting this long, but I need to give my brother the chance to be here. So if you need to leave right now that's okay. It's not like any of us had anything nice to say about my mother anyway."

The minister nodded and gathered up his bag to go.

"I was really hoping he'd be here," Leo sadly turned to Greenlee. The main reason why they had come to Pine Valley in the first place was really because of David, not Vanessa's funeral. Leo felt terrible that he had promised his kids an uncle and maybe some cousins, and all they were getting was the funeral of the grandmother that tried to kill their mother. He especially felt bad for David Jr. who had been asking about his uncle constantly. This could have been their chance to meet.

Leo felt a surge of hope when a car pulled up across from the cemetery. _David?_

Jackson Montgomery exited the car. The former DA saw Leo staring at him and smiled. His light colored hair had grayed over the years, but his tall and erect posture remained the same.

Jackson made his way over to the duPres' and greeted Leo with a handshake. He made sure to greet Greenlee too, welcoming the two of them back to Pine Valley, and was very sweet in introducing himself to Holly and David. Then he got down to business.

"I'm here on behalf of your brother, Leo. He is now a client of mine and he wanted me to tell you that he wasn't going to make it here today."

"Uncle David isn't coming?" David Jr. sounded very disappointed.

"I'm sorry, but no," Jackson apologized to the young boy. "But I do have something for the two of you," Jackson told the boy's parents. "Could you come down to my office tomorrow? I'm working out of the office building over on Lincoln."

"Sure thing," Leo responded. "Thanks for coming."

"Doesn't look like much of a service," Jackson commented, noticing that besides for Vanessa's closed casket, a worker standing ready to lower it into the ground, and the four duPres' it was an empty turn out. "And I'm surprised that you of all people, Greenlee, brought flowers," he told her, noticing the batch of white roses in her hand.

"Oh, these aren't for Vanessa," Greenlee responded. "It's for my next stop."

"Okay, well I'll see you two tomorrow then. I'm sorry about David."

Leo watched the older man go before motioning to the worker to start lowering the casket.

"Goodbye mother," he muttered softly.

"Goodbye evil witch," Greenlee smiled.

"Goodbye grandma," Holly said with mixed feelings, knowing she should hate this person for what she did to her mother, but having not experienced any of it herself, she still felt a little sad that she was gone.

"Goodbye family," David Jr. whispered sadly.

"You doing okay, Leo?" Greenlee asked, worried that Vanessa's burial might be difficult for him. Of course Leo would be happy to move on from that part of his life for good, but she also knew her husband well. To Leo – evil family was still family.

"Yeah, I'm good," he nodded with a straight face. "Don't worry about me, Greens. You go do what you've got to do and I'll see you back at home. You know where you're going, right?"

"Yeah, I called in advance. I know where he is."

"You mind if I tag along?" Holly asked. "I'd like to know more about where I came from, you know?"

Greenlee smiled at her daughter. "Course, sweetheart." She gave her husband a see you later kiss and started looking around. _They said the far eastern edge of the 7__th__ row from the fence._ Figures her grandfather wouldn't want a special plot. No matter how rich he was, he never for a second thought he was better than anyone else.

_crack!_

Greenlee turned around, following the sound of what sounded like a twig snapping behind her, but saw no one there. "Did you hear that?" she asked Holly. A cold breeze suddenly blew through the cemetery that made Greenlee shiver. _Is someone out there?_

"I didn't hear anything," Holly told her, but she noticed that her mother looked a little tense. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

Greenlee shook off her nerves. _Get a hold of yourself, girl. Vanessa's ghost isn't coming after you. _"Yeah, I'm okay. Burying Vanessa must have freaked me out more than I realized." She looked around when she and Holly reached what she thought was the right general location. _There it is!_

Mother and daughter approached the gravestone:

"_Woodruff Greenlee: 5/13/1928 – 2/28/2012. Beloved husband, patriarch, and benefactor."_

Greenlee sat herself down with her knees to the ground in front of her grandfather's grave. _Woody is worth getting a little grass stain_. Holly did the same and watched her mother kiss the roses in her hand and then lay them down before the gravestone. She read the inscription of her great-grandfather and looked back to her mother, waiting for more details.

"Doesn't surprise me that he would insist on something pure and simple," Greenlee commented affectionately. "Because that was my granddaddy to the core. You are a lot like him, you know; he was the kindest most good-hearted person I've ever known."

Holly watched her mother grab a tissue out of her purse to pat down her eyes and waited patiently for her to continue.

"There are only two regrets I have in life," Greenlee continued. "All those years we were in hiding and living peacefully; I mean, I loved it, but the two things I wish I could have done something about or happened differently… one you already know; but the second was when I heard that he died – and I did hear about it because one of the world's richest men dying made a national news story or two – I wish I could have been here for him, to be able to pay my respects then. I loved him very much, but with Vanessa still out there somewhere…"

"I'm sure he knows how much you loved him and how much you wanted to be there, Mommy," Holly put her arm around her mother, showing some wisdom beyond her years.

"See, that's exactly what your great granddaddy would have said," Greenlee's eyes moistened up. Woody was the only family tie that could explain Holly's personality, and it made Greenlee so proud that she was seeing some of him in her.

"Can you tell me more about him?" Holly asked. "Especially if we're so much alike. I want to know."

"Well, until your father, Gramps was the only person in the world who ever bothered to care about me. I drove him and everyone else absolutely nuts, but he loved me totally unconditionally. I thank God everyday that you don't have the wild side that I did when I was growing up because if you did, frankly I would have no idea what to do; but Woody, he… he just loved me, no matter how badly I messed up. I know he would be so proud of you too; starting eighth grade tomorrow in a new place with so much positive energy."

"I wish I could have met him."

"Yeah, me too." Greenlee held Holly close and kissed her lovely daughter's forehead. "Me too."


	7. The Things We Hide

Kendall stared blankly into space. It had been a week since she almost kissed Zach – a week where she couldn't get that moment out of her head. She had been trying her best to distract herself with her work, but after wearing herself out with the never ending pile of paper on her desk, she couldn't help but space out to thoughts of Zach.

"Kendall!" Annie stormed into her office, looking more aggravated than Kendall had ever remembered seeing her; and that was even with Kendall only partially focused on her frustrated employee. "Kendall! Snap out of your daydream and listen to me!"

"Sorry, Annie," Kendall apologized without consciously realizing just how upset Annie seemed. "What is it?"

"We need you to get yourself off of your rocker and help us out down here! No, better yet, we need you to hire some more help because we are way too understaffed to function right now!"

Kendall barely batted an eyelash. It had been a rough week at work. She had lost three of her best top level employees to better offers from a rival cosmetics company in Pittsburg, and everyone left was scrambling to make up for the loss.

"If we don't do something right now, we're going to lose the Newman account – and I don't have to tell you how much that account is worth, so snap yourself back into the real world, Kendall, and get on top of this!"

Kendall finally brought herself back to reality and realized just how irritated Annie looked. "This isn't like you to be so stressed out, Annie. Are you alright?"

"Just get us some help, okay," Annie brushed off the question.

"No, seriously," Kendall pushed her. "Is everything okay with you? This is just a tough spot the company is in right now. We'll get through it."

"Sure," Annie responded sarcastically, throwing her hands up in the air. "You'll be stuck with more one on ones with the boss. I'm sure you'd hate that. Bit of advice: love isn't worth it anyway."

"Is that what's bothering you, Annie? Did you and Aidan have a fight or something?"

Annie finally recovered from her outburst and let out a depth breath before resuming in her more characteristic softer style. "Yeah, we did. I'm sorry about going off on you like that. Don't listen to me."

"About work or about love?" Kendall laughed.

Annie smiled back at her, now looking mostly calm. "I meant everything I said about work. We really are swamped."

"I'll get on the Newman account right now," Kendall promised.

Annie nodded thankfully and walked out of Kendall's office.

Kendall barely got her hand the phone before spacing out once again. "Love isn't worth it," Kendall muttered Annie's remarks to herself, thinking it over.

----------

"Love is worth it!" Bianca pleaded.

Zach sat across from her with his arms crossed. He had come into her office to discuss work, but let slip his near kiss with Kendall; and Bianca was feeling hardcore into the role of matchmaker.

"How do you know it's love?" Zach stated matter of factly, refusing to let his emotions show.

Bianca chuckled at Zach's nonchalant attitude. After all the years of seeing him and her sister interacting, she knew better than to let Zach off so easy.

"Come on, I'm no dummy," she told him with her own arms crossed. "I see the way you look at each other. You two have been doing this stupid runaround thing for years, ever since you left her to chase our mother. I know you two almost slept together during that marriage too."

"Kendall told you that, huh?" Zach stated, showing a tiny bit of emotion in his eyes in the form of hope. He would never admit it, but he knew he was never going to act on his feelings by himself. Having Bianca playing matchmaker could be a good thing.

Bianca stared at him, waiting for something from him that she could use for her get Kendall and Zach together campaign. Zach understood and let himself open up a little: "I don't know how to deal with your sister, okay? Yes, I left her because I felt something for her that I had never felt before; it was scary. But I can't escape it. It's been there ever since and I don't know how much longer I can deal with that."

"Did you ever consider that telling Kendall exactly that might be the answer to all your problems?"

"Sure," Zach answered. "But I don't know if I can be honest about this – not with Kendall. I know her well enough to know that she doesn't trust herself with me, and that she thinks I would just be using her for something or other and that she'll end up getting hurt again."

"You know, for a guy who seems to never show emotion, you seem pretty tuned in to Kendall's," Bianca commented with a smile, enjoying watching Zach Slater try to talk about feelings. _There is a first time for everything_.

"You know what?" Zach spoke up with a half smile, a little embarrassed that Bianca was enjoying this so much. "Enchantment is far enough behind right now. I should let you get back to work."

"Sure, boss," Bianca responded, holding off her sly smile until after Zach left the room. She picked up her phone and dialed a number, then waited as the call went to voicemail

"Leo, it's Bianca. Call me back when you get a chance. I need some help with spreading the love."

----------

"Hey, thanks for coming," Jackson Montgomery warmly greeted Leo and Greenlee as they entered his office. "Please, have a seat."

"You said you had something for us," Leo told him. "Considering past history, should I be afraid to ask?"

Jackson chuckled at the comment. "Don't worry, Leo. It's not an arrest warrant or anything like that."

Leo half-heartedly smiled back. It was nice that Jackson seemed so mellow now, but how many times had Jack either threatened to arrest him or actually did arrest him in the past? It wasn't an unfair question.

"How are the kids doing?" Jackson looked to make small talk. "They handle the funeral okay? Are they adjusting to the move?"

"Yeah, they're fine," Greenlee answered. "Starting school today actually. But you could let your client know how much they would really love to see him since Leo couldn't seem to get through to him. You think you can somehow threaten David with more jail time or something?"

"Greenlee," Leo gave her a look, warning her off the topic.

"I'm just looking out for Holly and David," she answered defensively. "And I think it would be really good for your brother too."

"Please leave it alone, Greenlee," Leo asked her in a non asking type of tone. "Let me deal with David."

"Hayward is a tough one to crack these days," Jackson interrupted their mini-spat with his own comment, leading to a couple seconds of awkward silence.

Leo loudly cleared his throat, purposely trying to bring some kind of end to the topic. "Sorry," he excused himself and turned to the business at hand. "Why are we here, Jackson?"

Jackson opened up a drawer in his desk and took out two envelopes: one was sealed closed and read "Greenlee" in big letters on the front and the other was a plain envelope reading "to the attention of Mr. Leo duPres."

"It's obvious which one belongs to whom," Jackson pointed out. "The one for you, Leo, I can't promise hasn't been seen before; though I can promise you that I personally haven't read it. Inside the envelope is a note that I'm told was found with your mother's body that was intended for you. And for you, Greenlee; your mother gave this to me to give to you in case you ever came back to Pine Valley. Mary herself left town shortly after you did and I haven't seen her since. But she swore me to privacy that this letter is for your eyes only, hence the seal."

Leo and Greenlee thanked the older man and took their respective letters back to the waiting area outside Jackson's office and sat down next to each other. "There's a garbage can ready and waiting right here," Greenlee explained.

Leo didn't seem quite as enthusiastic. Greenlee rubbed her hand comfortingly over her husband's shoulder.

"Do you want to go first?" she asked.

Leo nodded in acceptance and held the envelope in his hands. It took him longer than he expected to take out the paper inside and unfold the handwritten note. He hated that this was so hard for him. _Why do I still give Vanessa that kind of power?_

"Whatever it is, I've got your back," Greenlee reminded him. "I'm right here."

Leo smiled at her. It was amazing to him that she was being so supportive knowing what Vanessa tried to do to her so many times. _I'm so lucky to have her._

He took a deep breath and started reading aloud:

"_My darling, Leo. If you are reading this, it is because I've left you._ – Thanks for saying the obvious, Mother. – _I know we haven't always been on the best terms, especially with how we left things._ – Understatement of the century. – _But I want you to know that I do truly and dearly love you._"

"She sounds almost human," Greenlee commented, surprised that Vanessa would bother to give her son something he needs at no benefit to her.

"Give her a minute," Leo told his wife skeptically. It couldn't be that Vanessa only left a 'goodbye' and 'I love you' note. Didn't seem like her style.

"_Even though you have shown terrible judgment as far as your tramp of a wife goes._"

"And there it is," Greenlee shook her head in quite laughter. "And she started off so well."

"_One day, maybe it even happened already, you will realize that your mother was right all along that that little pile of trash can't make you happy; not like we were before she screwed up everything. And then you will regret all the time you wasted on her that you could have spent with me. I own your heart, Leo, and I always will._"

"Okay," Leo rolled his eyes and crumbled up the paper in his hands. "Here's what I think of your final words, Mother." He continued to crumble up the paper until it was a nice round ball in his hands. He fired the paper ball at the nearby garbage can, banking it in off the wall.

"duPres shoots and scores!" Leo flung his arms in the air in celebration.

"Nice shot, Hubby," Greenlee laughed.

"Thanks, Wifey." Leo turned his head and pulled Greenlee into a passionate kiss.

"But you'll always be my number one score. No matter what Vanessa thinks, there is only one woman who can say she owns my heart."

"That's sweet," Greenlee affectionately cupped her hand under Leo's chin.

"Okay, so it's one crazy mother down and one to go," Leo shrugged. "This time I'm the one who has your back, Greens."

Greenlee ripped open the seal and took out the letter left for her by her mother, Mary Smythe.

"Let's see," she skimmed the letter. It looked too long for her to read word for word; plus, she didn't have some weird attachment to her mother to make her care enough to try.

"I'm sorry I was never there for you… I wish I could have been a better mother… blah blah blah… I wouldn't trade the time I spent with you planning your wedding for anything in the world…" _Sure Mommy._ _Faking motherhood for money was an absolute ball – not!_

Leo noticed the disgust on Greenlee's face. "At least she never tried to kill the person you love," Leo told her.

Greenlee couldn't deny that one. Mary Smythe might have been a terrible mother, but Mary versus Vanessa was no contest.

"Anything else?" Leo asked.

Greenlee looked back at the page. "Yeah, one more paragraph. Let's see: Now that I might never see you again, there is something I need to try and tell you. It's a truth that I never knew how to tell you but you deserve to know it; I just hope you get this letter before it's too late…"

Greenlee's eyes raced ahead to the next words. _What secret could she have been hiding?_

She froze as she saw it.

"What's wrong, baby?" Leo grew concerned. "Hey, look at me." Greenlee's mouth remained frozen wide open as her finger pointed to the words she was reading. Leo took the letter and read the spot where her finger once was. He felt his own jaw dropping on him as he looked back at Greenlee with concern about how this was hitting her. _Jackson Montgomery is her biological father? How could this be?_

Greenlee regained herself and grabbed the letter back from Leo with a determined expression.

"Greenlee, wait," Leo tried to stop her, but she was already looking like a woman on a mission. A freight train couldn't stop her when she got like that.

"Wait, you can't go in there!" the secretary called for her to stop before she could enter Jackson's office. "He's on a conference call right now. Hey, stop!"

Greenlee ignored the woman, storming through the door and into Jackson's office. She violently threw the letter down onto the desk in front of Jackson and pointed at the last paragraph.

"Read!"


	8. The Glass is Half Empty

"What can I get you two lovely ladies?"

Simone and Greenlee looked up from their table at the Valley Inn. They had made plans to meet for lunch, just the two old girlfriends together again, and Simone recommended that they had to come back here. What's Pine Valley without wining and dining at one of the finest establishments in Pennsylvania?

"I don't remember ever seeing you here," Simone greeted the young man who had come for their order. "You new here?"

"My first week on the job. Name's Craig. And I must say, the pleasure of serving such beautiful women as yourselves is one hell of a job perk."

Simone blushed at the compliment. "Aww, aren't you just the cutest thing." Craig really was cute too. Nice build, short blond hair, probably in his early to mid twenties. "I'm Simone," she gave out her name with a smile. "My friend, Greenlee."

"Pleasure," Greenlee forced a half smile. Recent events hadn't left her in as cheerful a mood as Simone was in.

"So what can I do for you ladies? You name it, you got it."

"Actually, can you give us a couple more minutes first?" Simone asked.

Greenlee gave a Simone a confused look. _Why can't we order now?_

"Your wish is my command," Craig gave a slight bow. "But I can wait right here and enjoy the pleasure of your company for a little longer, if you like. This is a first for me, seeing unattached beautiful women at my table."

Simone chuckled and Greenlee held back a smirk. _Could this guy be a bigger flirt? I know we aren't completely hopeless looking, but we must have ten plus years on this kid!_

"Hardly unattached," Simone picked up her hand and showed him her ring: "Engaged."

Greenlee picked up her hand and showed him hers as well: "Married."

"How unfortunate for me," Craig gracefully backed up a step. "Please call me whenever you are ready to order."

Simone thanked him and waited a few seconds for him to be out of earshot of their conversation.

"Okay, so what happened next? Is Jackson your dad or what?"

"We're getting DNA tests done right now," Greenlee answered, feeling very unsettled about it.

"So that's a good thing, right? Between you and Leo, it would be nice to have one normal parent. And it would give Holly and David a grandparent."

"I don't even know why we're talking about this," Greenlee shook her off, her skepticism at the whole situation shinning through. "My mother is liar and always has been. She must have something to gain from doing this."

"Like giving her daughter something she needs," Simone pointed out. Good old Simone – always the optimist.

"Whatever, I didn't come to talk Jackson. I want to talk wedding plans, and dresses, and all that Simone is happy type stuff."

"Wedding plans?" Simone raised an eyebrow. "Okay, how about this one? I talked to Kendall."

_Ouch! Walked right into that one, didn't I?_

"She tells me that you two didn't exactly get along."

Greenlee blushed out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, okay. I really meant to be nice to her – honest. But then I see her looking so, so… _Kendall_, and it sets off some kind of chemical reaction in me or something; like I have this need to start sparring with her."

"But do you want to do this? For me?"

"Yes, yes, of course, Simone."

Simone looked up past Greenlee and smiled widely. "That's all I needed to hear." She waved someone over to her. Greenlee turned her head to see what it was that her friend was looking at and her eyes widened in horror.

Kendall looked back in horror at Greenlee. She stormed over to the table and glared at the petite woman sitting across from her friend. Both women turned to Simone: "You set me up!" they yelled at her in unison.

"Yes I did," Simone answered, looking very proud of herself. "Now take a seat, Kendall, before you cause a scene."

Kendall did so, not taking her eyes off of Greenlee as if to be ready to defend herself at a moment's notice.

"Now here we are in a big crowed room right in the middle of the Valley Inn," Simone explained to them like she was describing the rules to a game. "I'm going to stay right here and be your buffer as we all enjoy a nice fabulous meal together. Now let's all try and get along, shall we?"

"It's not my fault Kendall's skin has gotten thinner than her waist."

"It's not my fault Greenlee has become a crybaby in her old age."

"Watch it!"

"Make me!"

"Okay!" Simone stopped them, putting one hand on each of her two friends. "Looks like friendship is out. But how about we settle for a truce?"

Kendall leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "I can deal with that."

Greenlee did the same. "That works for me."

Simone let out a sigh of relief. At least she had secured a temporary reprieve from the bickering, but neither Greenlee nor Kendall looked too happy to be there. This could be tougher than she thought. _How can I get them to be vulnerable enough to not want to rip each other's heads off? We don't need bridal fight part two to happen in the middle of my wedding._

"Alright, this is how it's going to work. Everyone raise their right hands."

Greenlee and Kendall both looked at Simone like she had totally lost it, but they did what she said.

"Repeat after me: I solemnly swear to be totally and completely honest about anything that Simone wants me to talk about."

"I'm not giving you a blanket license like that," Greenlee protested.

"Me neither," Kendall agreed.

"Fine. About one thing. I ask you one thing and you give total honesty. Come on, guys, you both promised me that you wanted this to work, so I'm asking from the bottom of my heart to my two best friends in the world; just do me this one thing?"

"Looks like we're stuck," Kendall sighed in defeat.

"Guess so," Greenlee resigned herself to that fact as well. "I swear, Simone."

"I swear too," Kendall shrugged. "Why do I think I'm going to regret this?"

"Because you probably will," Simone grinned. "Okay, Greenlee, I'm starting with you."

"Give me your best shot, Torres."

"Good, here it comes: why did you run out on Kendall?"

Greenlee's eyes immediately widened in panic. _You had to ask me that? Oh God, anything but that!_

"You swore to me, Greenlee," Simone pushed her. "If you both are going to coexist peacefully, we're going to need some honesty between the two of you."

"Please not that?" Greenlee begged. "I can't talk about that with her here."

Kendall smirked at watching Greenlee uncomfortably try to backpedal. _This should be good_. Simone didn't budge an inch. Greenlee knew she was stuck.

"Okay, fine," she began. "I was fine until Kendall brought my children into it. I think her words were, 'thank God there are only two of your demon spawn running around because you having two mini-midgets is too many,' or something like that."

"You're breaking my heart, Greenlee," Kendall joked, looking unconcerned. Simone flashed her an angry look before looking back at Greenlee sympathetically. "Okay, so what's so bad about that?"

Greenlee paused, desperately not wanting to answer. She took a deep breath and braced herself to bare her soul. "Because two of my mini-midgets as she calls it is all I _can_ have." Greenlee grabbed a napkin from the table and tapped her eyes with it gently before going on. "I got pregnant again not long after David, but there were… complications. I lost the baby… a girl…" she started to choke out the words. "… another beautiful baby girl…" She had to stop herself again to pat down her eyes and compose herself. "They told me that for me to even conceive again was nearly impossible. So there you go, Kendall; you hit me where it hurts. You happy now?"

Kendall looked legitimately sorry for her. "No, I'm not happy, Greenlee. I'm sorry. If I had known… I never would have gone there. I mean, I can't imagine what my life would be like if something had happened to Justin."

Simone tenderly rubbed her hand on Greenlee's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"Yeah, well. I did and it's over and I prefer not to dwell on it; so if we could move on right now, that would be wonderful."

"Okay, sweetie," Simone agreed. _At least Kendall looks sorry now about what happened._

"Kendall," Simone moved on to the other woman at the table. "Your turn. Why did you let Greenlee get under your skin?"

Kendall grimaced at the question. Her answer was simple enough, but it still meant she had to put herself out there.

"Because I'm jealous, okay; there, I said it."

"And what made you jealous?" Simone pushed her to explain.

"It's just that everyone else seems so happy," Kendall answered. "I love Justin to death, but after him what else is there? I have Enchantment and then what? Take you, Simone; you're so happy right now and it's great. I love you and I'm happy for you. And then you, Greenlee; you come into my office the other day and you look so happy and fulfilled too. So Simone has found true love and Greenlee just finished what was basically a freaking fifteen year vacation with the love of her life. When am I going to get all that, you know? When am I going to be happy like that?"

"That's my girl," Simone smiled at her and put a hand on each of her shoulders. "Thanks for putting that out there."

Greenlee scratched her forehead in thought, wondering what to respond. "Look," she finally started. "I can't tell you that I'm sorry for flaunting all that in your face because that would be a lie. I meant to do that. But it's because on the outside you look so successful right now – running Enchantment and all – and I thought I needed something to hold over you to help me keep up."

"This is good," Simone said cheerily. "This is really good. We're putting things out there and getting along."

"Don't get to excited, Simone," Kendall stopped her. "I still hate the sight of her face."

"Likewise," Greenlee responded. "But maybe we can handle a truce for now."

"I'll take what I can get," Simone leaned back happily. "Now I think we're ready to order." She got the attention of one of the waiters and asked him to tell Craig that they were ready for him.

Craig was watching the three women through the kitchen. "You didn't tell me she looked like that!" he spoke through his cell phone. "That hot little thing doesn't look like she's aged much at all from that picture you sent me. The girls at PVU can't even hold a candle… Yeah, this should be fun. You've definitely got yourself a deal!"

----------

"David, open up!" Leo shouted from outside the cabin. Knocking was getting him nowhere – maybe yelling and screaming would do the trick. "David, let me in or I'm going to break down this door!" An empty threat for sure, but Leo was running out of options. "Come on, I saw your car outside; I know you're in there!"

He forcefully grabbed the doorknob and pushed. To his shock, the door swung open in front of him.

David was inside the cabin, sitting at a round wooden table. He was leaning back in a chair as his scruffy face wore a worn down expression. His right arm lay flat across the table, to the right of some pictures that were spread out there.

"I was wondering when you were going to try the knob," he stated coldly, without bothering to look up at Leo. "How did you find me, little brother?"

"Jackson told me you still had this place," Leo answered as he examined the room. It looked empty of anything of real significance and it wasn't hard to tell that no one had lived there in a while.

Leo took a seat across from his older brother. "Who are these?" he asked, looking at the pictures set out in front of David. "Are they the ones you told me about?"

David only nodded. He still hadn't shown Leo any real emotion since he came in. The pictures in front of him each held a still shot of a different person. David pointed to them one at a time, introducing Leo to the family he never met one by one: "Krystal, Babe, Marissa, Little Adam, the baby."

"They're beautiful," Leo told him.

"They're gone," David said sadly.

"They aren't your only family," Leo reminded David again.

"But they are the one I knew. They got close and then they were gone."

"But I'm back now," Leo pleaded in a hushed tone. "We aren't trying to replace anyone in your heart, David. We just want you to find a place in there for the rest of your family. Because I'm back. And Greenlee is back. And now Holly is here. And David Jr. is here."

David finally picked up his head. His eyes betrayed him, giving away that the mention of his nephew's name had tugged on his heartstrings. "You named him after me?"

Leo smiled and nodded. "Greens and I were so happy when we had a baby boy. You know why? It was because we finally could honor you the way you deserved; to have our son one day be able to know that he is named after the great man who saved his mother's life when she thought I was gone forever. Don't you see, David? You can't be a curse to those kids because if it wasn't for you they wouldn't be here in the first place."

"I'm not that man anymore," David became distant again. "I'm not a healer anymore. Now I just destroy everything around me that's good."

"I don't believe that for a second, David," Leo kept trying to get through to him. His brother was stubborn all right; not that Leo was so much different. He put his hand on top of David's, not even eliciting a flinch on his brother's part. "Look at me in the eyes, David. Look at how I see you. I don't see a man who is destructive to everyone he loves. I see my brother. I see the man that I want my kids to meet because I know he is someone they would admire. I've seen you at your best and now at your worst, David; and I know who the real David Hayward is."

"I'm not that man anymore," David repeated sadly. "I think it would be better for all involved if I stay out of everyone's lives."

Leo could feel his frustration building. He loved his brother, but how many times did he have to hear the questions of 'where is Uncle David?' and 'why haven't we seen Uncle David?'

"Why don't you look Holly and David in the eyes and tell them that, huh?" Leo argued. "Why don't they have a say in this?"

"Damn it, Leo!" David slammed his fist down on the table, sending the pictures sitting there flying off in all different directions. "Didn't Babe have a say! Didn't Marissa have a say! They had the right idea when they walked away from me. I'm the one who pushed it! I'm the one who couldn't let go! And now they're dead!" David took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking Leo straight in the eyes. It wasn't hard for Leo to hear the pain coming from David's voice. "I won't make the same mistake twice, Leo. Holly and David are getting a blessing that Babe and Marissa never got: the chance to not know me."

David put his elbow on the table and rested his forehead on his hand as he tried to recover from his outburst. Leo stood up, conceding that this wasn't getting them anywhere. "Somewhere inside you is that boy who watched his father kill himself," Leo told him. "I know that boy would have done anything to have his father back and be a family again. I'm watching you emotionally kill yourself, David. Don't make me be that boy now."

Leo walked out of the cabin hoping that something he said would eventually sink in. Watching David do this to himself was one of the hardest things he ever had to go through. Why couldn't he see the good in himself anymore? Why couldn't he let himself work back towards the man he used to be? _Your family loves you, David. And we'll be here for you whenever you're ready._

David barely batted an eyelash as Leo walked out. He reached down for the nearest picture that had fallen off of the table and picked it up in front of his face. The frozen eyes of the baby that he and Anna had lost all those years ago looked back at him. He looked sadly at the picture of his first lost child: "How would _you_ see me?"

----------

Annie Devane felt dismayed by the never-ending pile of work at her desk. There were better things for her to do than to have to stress over this stuff; but she knew that there would be times like this when she first took this job.

"Afternoon, sweetheart," her husband surprised her from behind. Annie turned her chair around to see Aidan standing there with a bouquet of flowers in one hand, a picnic basket in the other, and a blanket slung over his shoulder. "I know you've been swamped around here, but I was hoping to give you a little well deserved break."

Annie smiled up at him. Her husband sure was a sweetheart in every way.

"And I wanted to apologize," Aidan continued. "For whatever it is that set you off the last couple nights. I know you've been really stressed out with work, but the last thing I want is for that to carry over to us in any way. I want to make it up to you." Aidan handed the flowers to his smiling wife and kissed her on the cheek. "I even brought your favorite: grilled bread with feta cheese and tomatoes," Aidan told her as he opened up the picnic basket, showing her what was inside

"I can't say no to that," Annie leaned over and looked lustily into the basket. "I still haven't eaten so your timing couldn't be better."

"I live to please," her husband responded and laid out the blanket on the floor for them.

Annie sat down with him and gave him a thank you kiss before pulling out some food for their office picnic.

Kendall walked through the office and saw them. She was in desperate need of winding down after somehow spending an entire meal with Greenlee without causing a major scene; one of the hardest things she could remember doing, even with Simone there to keep the peace. She looked at Annie and Aidan acting all cute together on their blanket and stopped for a minute to stare. She sighed sadly and leaned herself back against a nearby wall. _Everyone has love but me._


	9. The Future and the Past

Simone gracefully walked out into the room and spun around for her awed audience. This was definitely the one.

"You look absolutely radiant," Annie gasped.

"Hell, I'd marry you," Kendall nodded her head in approval.

Simone blushed at the compliments. There was no doubt in her mind – this was her wedding dress. The strapless open neckline let her show off her smooth shoulders, the corset lacing held the dress in a tight yet perfect fit to where it stopped about halfway up her back, and the swirling ruffles at the bottom not only looked amazing but helped make the dress the easiest one to walk around in out of all the other ones she had tried on. Oh yeah – this was the one.

"I don't think I can ever take it off," Simone glowed in her excitement. She felt like she was walking on air.

"Oh honey," Kendall gave her a sly smile. "That's what the wedding night is for. But if you look like that at your wedding, I don't think Jake will be able to wait that long to take it off."

"I do look good, don't I?" Simone did a little hop step. It felt good to know that in a few short months, _she_ was going to be the center of attention for once. Not that she was someone who needed the spotlight – she actually preferred to stay in the background most of the time – but it was going to be great to finally have _her_ day; and she was going to look out of this world gorgeous for it.

"I'll go grab a sales lady," Annie volunteered and excused herself.

Simone stared at her reflection through a nearby mirror and struck some poses.

"You really do look amazing," Kendall complimented her friend as she came up next to her. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Simone tried to hold back her tears of joy. She held her hair up to see again how the dress would look on her while fully accenting her shoulders and back. "Oh God I love it."

"It's perfect."

"And speaking of perfect," Simone grabbed Kendall's hand and led her over to a corner. "I want to thank you for being upfront with Greenlee the other day. It really means a lot to me to have both of you together with me for my wedding."

"Well, I want you to be happy, Simone."

"And I want you to be happy too. So tell me how we are going to get you into a fabulous wedding dress of your own?"

"Aren't we jumping ahead of ourselves a little?"

"Okay, your right," Simone agreed. "How are we going to find love for you and Zach Slater?"

Kendall almost jumped back at her friend's forwardness. "Excuse me?" she got a little defensive. "Where did you get an idea like that from?"

"Oh please, girl," Simone laughed. "Everyone knows the two of you are crazy in love except for the two of you."

Simone walked away leaving Kendall standing dumbfounded with her mouth wide open. "Hey, Simone! Wait!... What do you mean _everyone_?"

----------

"Look, it's pretty obvious that you care about the girl," Leo sat back in his chair after finishing off his cup of beer.

Zach finally let something resembling a smile curl onto his face. "Didn't you just say I was stoic enough to really be some mass murderer in disguise?" He had to admit, bantering with Leo was fun. It was like he had found his polar opposite. Leo was charming, open, and witty; Zach was rugged, reserved, and while he could nail the occasional one-liner during the rare times he felt the urge, he could definitely use some loosening up.

Leo chuckled; happy he was finally getting Zach to give him a window to some emotion. Maybe it was the beer? He whistled up to a waiter at the Valley Inn's bar: "Another round please!" He turned back to Zach and smiled at himself. "The eyes always give people away, my friend. You try not to, but yours light up a little when we talk Kendall Hart. Also helps that Bianca filled me in a little."

"She also told me a little about how you and your mother conned your way through the eastern hemisphere. Then you came here and got your mitts into Erica Kane and went after a Greenlee heir. You got moxie, I'll give you that."

"Which also means I know a little something about the hard to handle type," Leo sat back with his arms behind his head. "And Kendall definitely was that back when I knew her. Here's the mistake that's easy to make, and believe me I made it too: you think that with a woman like that you can't possibly really be honest with her, because she'll chew you up and spit you out without ever looking back. But it's not true. Every woman really wants someone that they feel like they can trust and that they feel will be honest with them. The chance of them making mince meat out of you is always going to be there, but the payoff is incredibly worth it."

"You're so sure?" Zach asked. "The kid who made his living by lying through his teeth is telling me that honesty is the key to happiness?"

"You got it, buddy," Leo smiled. "Look at me. Tell me I don't look happy? I don't know if you've met my wife yet, but she can be one hell of a firecracker. And yeah, I screwed it up a bunch of times and I lost her; but when we put everything out there, and committed to swear off everything and just admit that we needed each other: poof – bliss. Why can't you try that with Kendall?"

"I don't know how," Zach said frankly. He couldn't remember the last time he took a chance with the truth. "Tell me, Leo: had you ever been honest before about anything in your life?"

"Before Greenlee? No."

Zach sat back in thought. It sounded simple enough; and if a former con man like Leo could figure out how to do it then maybe he could too; but thinking about it and doing it were two entirely different things.

"Maybe you can take the same leap I did," Leo told him. He thanked the waiter who had just come by with their next round of drinks and tapped his with Zach's: "Cheers."

----------

"Cheers," Jake told her as he tapped his drink against hers.

"A cheers with iced tea?" Greenlee rolled her eyes. "That's so not the purpose of 'cheers.' And what's with you, Jake Martin, taking me to this hole in the wall that I've never even heard of that you call a restaurant? Don't you remember me at all? I'm champagne and caviar, not iced tea and meat loaf."

"Course I remember. But after living without your trust fund for so long, you should be used to the less high end places like this one."

"Not one of the perks of staying low key," Greenlee quickly pointed out.

Jake laughed at his old friend. "You really haven't changed at all, have you, Smythe? Oh, and I guess I can't really call you Smythe anymore, huh? It's a little outdated. No way am I calling you 'duPres' because I'm not going to pretend to be that worldly to have a friend with a French name. And just in case it happens, I'm putting it out there right now that 'Montgomery' is out too – cause that's just way too many syllables."

Greenlee slanted her head at Jake the way that Leo did to her so many times over the years and flashed an affectionate smile. Simone did say he had grown a sense of humor, and after spending her first dinner back in Pine Valley at his house and now hanging out alone with her old friend, she could really see the difference that Simone had made in his life – and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of him.

"You really are happy, aren't you?" she told him warmly. "Like, out of this world happy?"

"No complaints here," Jake nonchalantly took a sip of his iced tea.

"No, I mean it," Greenlee went on. "Seriously, I've never met anyone with worse luck with women than you have had; and I certainly didn't help with that..."

"Don't you just hate history?" Jake interrupted her. "I was always more of a science kind of guy."

"What I'm trying to say, Jake, is that you deserve to get the girl. After Gillian, Mia, whoever else I don't know about, and well… me – it's great to see you so happy now that it looks like you've finally got the real thing."

"Thank you," Jake smiled, now willing to follow her lead and make this a somewhat serious conversation. "That really means a lot."

"But if you go breaking my girl's heart I'm going to castrate you myself and feed the remains to whatever lives in Willow Lake, you got it?"

Jake covered his mouth and turned his head away from her. "Wouldn't be the first time," he muttered quietly between fake coughs, but just loud enough to make sure Greenlee heard him. He enjoyed watching Greenlee squirm at the cheap shot as she tried her best to simply shake her head and let it go. "Don't worry about that," he told her seriously. "I'm set for life."

"Good," Greenlee smiled. She loved the utter perfection of the two people who were her only real friends in the world having found love with each other. They both deserved happiness – all the better that they got it together.

_Buzz buzz_

"What's that?" Greenlee asked.

"That would be my special hospital bat signal," Jake answered, removing something looking like a blackberry from his pocket. "I gotta go; I'm sorry."

"Whoa, flashback to being a doctor's girlfriend. Not pretty."

Jake gave her a goodbye kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later, friend o' mine."

"Jake," Greenlee stopped him before he could leave.

"Yeah?"

"The 'Greens' club has just two members right now: Leo and Simone. It's pretty exclusive, but I think we have room for a third if you want in."

Jake smiled back. "I'd be honored, _Greens_." He turned and walked towards the door. "Enjoy your iced tea without me," he quipped without looking back, knowing the chances of her actually drinking it without him there were slim and none.

Greenlee made sure he left the restaurant before she scampered over to the front. "Excuse me," she slyly asked the young man taking orders. "Is there any way I could get some champagne out of you guys? I know it isn't exactly on the menu but I'm in desperate need of a wash down."

"We do have some chilled for a private party that's going to be here later tonight, but I'm afraid that's all."

"Okay, listen," Greenlee flashed her biggest smile as she took out numerous hundred dollar bills from her purse. "You get me a cup of that and I'll pay for the whole damn party right now."

The young man started sweating just from watching her count out the hundreds. "Yes Ma'am!" he hurried to the back to fulfill her request. "And don't ever call me 'Ma'am!" Greenlee called out after him. "That's coming right out of your tip!"

It didn't take too long for him to return with what she asked for. She gladly brought her drink back to her table and took out her cell phone:

"Holly, sweetie, it's me. What are you still doing up on a school night?... Yeah, I know it's still kind of early, but I always get a kick out of saying that. Can you put your dad on the phone?... Thanks. I love you, sweet girl… Hey, Leo, how'd it go playing matchmaker?... Good. You still feel like spreading a little more love tonight?... Oh yeah, I got something in mind… Oh, admit it; you love my naughty little surprises… Okay, I'll be home soon. Love you."

Greenlee put her phone back in her purse and sipped her champagne. _Now that hits the spot._

"Going from five-star dining to this little dump?" she heard a male voice standing over her. "I hope it wasn't the service that drove you away."

Greenlee looked up to see the familiar blond young man who waited on her at the Valley Inn. "Not my choice, believe me," she answered back. "_Greg_, was it?"

"Craig," the young man corrected her. He sat himself down across from Greenlee before she could even blink. "I just saw a familiar face sitting here all alone and thought I'd provide some top of the line company to offset some bottom of the line food."

It wasn't hard for Greenlee to read him. Maybe for a regular girl Craig would come across as charming, but to Greenlee, this guy looked like he was about to get way out of his league.

"Especially after your husband seemed to just blow you off like that," Craig continued. "Let me tell you, I would never leave as fine a young lady as yourself high and dry."

"Oh, no no no," Greenlee corrected him. She was finding watching this guy getting ready to make a fool of himself in front of her to be quite amusing. "He's a sweetheart, but my husband he is not. _My_ man could teach you a thing or two about trying to charm a girl properly."

Craig felt undeterred by the jab and went with the flow of the conversation. "Well, I'm glad you can see right through me," He leaned his face forward towards Greenlee's. "The truth is I'm happy that we're alone, because now I can tell you how damn sexy you are to your face."

Greenlee raised her eyebrow and smirked. _Has that line ever worked on anyone?_

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since I first saw you; thinking about what it would feel like to kiss those luscious lips of yours and have my hands all over that perfect body. So maybe for tonight you want to treat yourself to some young meat? To someone who will make you scream in pleasure all night and make your blood boil in passion like nothing you've ever experienced before."

"You've obviously never seen my husband," Greenlee smiled to herself.

"Give me one night and I'll take you places you've only dreamed about."

Greenlee surveyed her options. She had an easy to slap to the face available, but that wouldn't cut down that giant ego of his. She could remember a time in her life when she would have taken the opposite approach; when anyone who gave her a second look was worth sleeping with. Back then she was willing to do anything to be appreciated, and sex was always the easiest way to get that – at least temporarily. But that all changed once she fell in love with Leo. Once she found out what love was, the endless one night stands and the thrill of the meaningless chases just didn't seem worth it anymore. She then brought her mind to option number three…

"Craig, honey," she smiled and leaned her face in as well, stopping mere inches before his. Craig grinned at their physical closeness and licked his lips. Greenlee reached her hand out slowly as if to caress his neck. Once her hand reached his shirt collar, her smile turned into a fierce scowl. She pulled hard on the collar and watched him squirm for a second to catch his breath before she lightly loosened her grip to stop choking him. Her face still inches in front of Craig's, it was now time to put him in his place: "You sure as hell aren't man enough to handle me; so take your little charming routine and go practice it on yourself, because no one else is going to give you any action tonight. We clear?"

Craig sat still with his mouth open for a couple seconds in astonishment.

"We clear?" Greenlee repeated sternly.

Craig stared at her, completely mesmerized. The attitude was a major turn on. "God I want you," the words just slipped out. If it were possible, he was both terrified of this woman and totally in love with her at the same time.

"Scram!" Greenlee ordered.

"Yes Ma'am," Craig answered and started to stand up slowly.

"Ma'am?" Greenlee became furious. Her eyes started bulging in anger. "Ma'am?' Do I look like a freaking Ma'am to you?"

She reached down again for her purse to check if she had some mace in there. Her eyes were only turned away from the table for a brief moment, but it was long enough for her to not notice the powder that Craig slipped into her drink.

----------

David Hayward stood alone under the cool night sky. He was directly across from where it all happened – the first time he had been here since they threw him in jail. The Chandler mansion looked the same way he remembered it – just a pile of rubble scattered throughout the otherwise empty property. No one wanted to buy a place with the stigma of all the people that were killed there, so the lot sat the same as it did as when the police had finished their investigation.

He wasn't there the day that it happened. He first heard about it about half an hour after the explosion and had rushed to the scene. Of course by then it was too late.

"_David_," he remembered the sound of Krystal calling his name. "_Oh David, I love you too_. _I want us to be a family. I want our girls to have their parents together and supporting them as a unit. I want to spend my life with you._"

"_David_," he remembered Babe's voice. "_I'm so happy to finally have both of my parents together with me after all these years. I'll never take that for granted_."

"_Dad_," he remembered Marissa reaching out to him. "_I don't care what anyone else thinks about you. All I know is that you are part of me. You're my dad. Thank you for being my dad_."

"_Grandpa_," he remembered the first time Little Adam called him that. "_Grandpa, do you want to play with me_?"

David struggled to hold onto the positive memories of his family as the negative ones tried to fight their way through. He might have helped to drive them away, but he loved them; and he wanted to remember that no matter how bad their relationships may have gotten, that they had loved him too. _I'm going to find out what happened to you, I promise._

He felt a chilly breeze that very moment. It was already dark and very late, but he took it as a sign from above nonetheless: _they don't support me_.

He turned and saw a woman stumbling by across the street. His eyes deceived him for a moment as he wondered if the outline of the figure he was seeing could have somehow been Marissa. But as he tried to focus his vision in the dark, the form became clearer. _Greenlee_?

She looked so disoriented that a car could be whizzing past and she wouldn't even notice. David rushed over to her and grabbed her from behind. She turned to see him standing there. "David!" she yelled childishly and threw her arms around him. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How ya doin?"

"Greenlee, are you drunk?" he pushed her off to get a good look at her face. "Let me see your pupils."

"See my what?" She wobbled in his arms, struggling to keep herself upright. "I love you, David, but I'm not letting you see any more than anyone else gets to see." David put his hands on her face to force her to stay steady for him as he examined her eyes. "Have you shaved in the last fifteen years?" she mumbled as her palm felt his scruffy beard. "You look much cuter when you shave."

"Greenlee, listen to me," he pleaded for her to try and focus. "Have you been drinking tonight?"

"Tonight?" Greenlee puffed up her lips and put her finger over them in thought. David noticed that right now she had the mannerisms of an adolescent. "Um, I don't know," she started rambling. "But I know that I missed you, David. And you're being sweet to come and get me and make sure I'm okay cause I think I fell over a couple times since I started walking. Where am I going anyway?"

"You're going home," he told her, putting his arm over her shoulder and taking hold of her hand to help her to walk upright. "I'm going to take you home to Leo. You remember Leo?"

"Leo!" she screamed happily. "I love Leo!"

"Yes you do," David indulged her rambling.

"And you know what else I love? Cars. I love cars. Especially when I'm walking kinda funny like I am now. Is that where we are going?"

"Uh huh," David told his apparently very drunk sister-in-law. "We're going to get you to my car and then I'm going to drive you home to Leo."

"Leo!" she screamed happily again.


	10. Shockers

Leo lounged back on the couch in his sweatpants and a tee shirt, throwing aside his just finished bag of chips. He still didn't know what to think about what had happened last night. Normally, if Greenlee called with some naughty ideas saying that she was going to be home soon, _she would be home soon_. When an hour had gone by and both of the kids were already off to bed, he had tried her cell phone a couple times with no luck. He was finally about to go out and search for her himself when David showed up at his door, practically carrying her alongside him. She was completely out of it so he got her into a nightgown and put her straight to bed. Leo then spent probably an hour just lying down next to her, playing with her hair as he watched her sleep, thankful that she was alright.

"What time is it?" he heard Greenlee ask as she stumbled out of the bedroom in her nightgown. Her eyes were only half open and she was looking pretty groggy. Leo waited for her to reach him and sat her down on his lap. She immediately put her arm around him and held on, not feeling sure enough of herself yet to balance herself on her own. "It's almost ten," he answered.

"Oh no," Greenlee closed her eyes in disappointment. "I missed the kids." She had always made a point of seeing them off before they left for school; all part her plan to make sure that her children never felt the same emptiness that she had grown up with.

"Come on, baby, we've talked about this," Leo told her soothingly as he stroked her long hair. "You not smothering them for a morning doesn't mean that they don't know how much you love them, okay? But right now I'm more worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Like someone put a nail on my forehead and starting hammering," she moaned in pain. "Let's just say I get why they call it a splitting headache."

"Do you remember how you got like this? When David brought you here last night, you looked like you had been drinking pretty hard."

"David brought me here? I… I don't remember. I remember that I went to meet Jake, but I can't remember anything that happened there."

"Anything you want me to do? I can check to see if we have some aspirin for you if you want."

"No, I'm okay," Greenlee answered. She put her head down onto Leo's shoulder. "Just keep holding me like this and we're golden."

"I can handle that," Leo smiled. He tightened his grip around her with one hand while letting the other roam free on his wife. After all these years together, there was still something he couldn't explain about the way he felt when he held her. It was almost like her skin felt smoother every time he touched it; her face more beautiful every time he looked at it; her eyes more alluring every time he got lost in them. As time went on, he had only found her more and more attractive.

Greenlee smiled peacefully in her husband's arms. Her headache was lessening by the second as she enjoyed the feel of his fingers running all over her back. She looked up at him and stared for a few moments.

"Is everything okay, Greens?"

"No, it's not," she told him with a straight face. "Why am I the only one not wearing any clothes?" She began to reach for the bottom of his tee shirt but quickly grabbed her head in pain instead. "Whoa – head rush," she closed her eyes and waited for it to pass.

Leo grabbed a pillow and moved her off his lap to lay her back against the couch, using the pillow to support her head. He leaned over and slowly kissed her forehead. "How do you feel now?"

"Mmm, better," she hummed.

He moved his mouth down and kissed her on her neck. "How about now?"

"Getting better."

He moved up to her mouth and kissed her again. "How about now?"

"Perfect," she smiled. Leo backed his head away, pleased with his medical work. "I didn't say you could stop," she scolded him playfully. "One minute off of this medication and my head is liable to split open."

"Can't say no to a patient in need," Leo smirked. "As of right now, doctors orders are for you to sit back and take it easy and let your husband show you how much he loves you as he showers you with kisses." Greenlee giggled as Leo went back to kissing her neck. _Now this is an order I can follow!_ As far as sicknesses go, this one wasn't turning out half bad.

_Ring ring_

Leo groaned in frustration but got off of Greenlee to answer the phone anyway. "Hello… Yeah, sure…" He handed the phone to his wife. "It's for you. Sounds like the call."

Greenlee unnervingly took the phone from Leo's hand. _Time to find out if Jackson Montgomery is my dad_. "Hi, it's Greenlee… You haven't?... Sure, 11:30 is fine… Okay, thanks." She loudly breathed out and put down the phone. "In a little over an hour I find out the truth," she looked worriedly at Leo.

"Hey, whatever it is it's going to be alright," Leo told her, trying to give her a feeling of comfort as he caressed her cheek. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll come with you if you want some backup."

"No, it's okay," Greenlee shook her head. "I love you for offering but I think I need to do this on my own."

"Okay. I'll be right here if you need me."

Greenlee gave him a distant nod. Saying that she had butterflies in her stomach couldn't accurately describe what she was feeling. In only an hour, either everything was going to change or it was going to stay exactly the same; and she had no idea which option was the one she wanted. "Guess I better go shower and change," she picked herself up off of the couch. Leo put his hand on her back and brushed it down against her as she started to walk away. His touch gave her the perfect idea for a little distraction before she had to deal with the serious stuff. "Aren't you coming with me?" she asked him with a grin. "What if naked me is all alone in the shower when I need some more of your special medical treatment?"

"You don't have to ask me twice," Leo scampered after her.

----------

Kendall continued her frustrating search for the information she needed on a big order they needed to fill. Her desk was already packed so the file could easily have been buried under there somewhere, but she was having no luck finding it. She finally noticed it sitting next to Bianca, who was busy with work of her own. Things at Enchantment seemed to get busier and busier by the day, and not because they were suddenly becoming overloaded by orders and huge profits. "Would you hand me that file?" Kendall asked her sister.

"Sure thing," Bianca took it and brought it over to Kendall. She then sat back down to continue working on her laptop, testing out Enchantment's soon to be released website upgrade.

The two of them quietly continued working as they sat across from each other in Kendall's office. It wasn't that their work load had increased, just that the number of people capable of doing it had decreased. The sisters were handling it though. At least they weren't in the middle of a holiday season or some other type of rush week, because that would have been too much for the company to deal with right now.

"Damn busywork," Kendall muttered. Working with paper was not her favorite part of the job.

"You know, Kendall," Bianca decided to throw caution to the wind. _It can't hurt to bring up the possibility_. "I know someone who can be a real help and who already knows her way around this place."

"No way in hell, Binks," Kendall immediately shut her down. "We don't need Cruella duPres anywhere near this company."

Bianca shrugged and went back to work. _Being stubborn as always. Oh well, It was worth a try_. She looked up when she heard the footsteps of someone entering the office and saw Zach Slater standing there looking sharp with a coffee in his right hand. She may have been gay but that didn't mean she was blind: Zach Slater could wear a suit with the best of them.

"Morning, ladies," Enchantment's owner greeted his right hand women.

"Good morning, Zach," Bianca greeted him with a warm smile.

"Morning," Kendall gave a rushed greeting of her own without bothering to look up from her work.

Zach took a few more steps inside the office and snuck a peak at what they were doing. "We still good for lunch today?"

"Uh huh, Valley Inn," Kendall gave another short and sweet reply.

"What she means is that we are both looking forward to it," Bianca tried to infuse some more warmth to offset Kendall's attitude.

Kendall finally looked up at Zach to speak to him. "But we really are swamped right now, so if you don't mind, giving us some space right now would be great."

"I see," he answered. "I'll leave you to your work." Zach gracefully backed out of the office, hiding the hurt coming from Kendall not wanting him there.

Bianca waited for Zach to leave and close the door behind him. "You know," she pointed out to her sister with a sigh. "If you keep hiding behind your work, you're just going to stay miserable."

Kendall gave her a quick sharp glance before ignoring her presence once again.

_I'll get through to you eventually, Kendall. _

----------

Greenlee opened the door to Jack's office still feeling very unsure about the whole situation. _Why didn't I make Leo come with me? This would be so much easier with him here to lean on_. She felt a little bit better when she saw that Jack looked just as nervous as she did. He was tapping a closed envelope on his desk until the moment he noticed her standing there; and tried to force a smile as he saw her to try and make her feel at ease in this very tense moment.

He extended his hand to offer her a seat but she refused it. "I'd rather stand," she told him. That would make for an easier getaway.

"Do you want to see the results with me?"

"No. Just open it and tell me what it says."

He ripped open the envelope and looked at the letter inside it. His expression didn't change as he looked at the letter, then up at her, and then back at the letter.

"Well?" Greenlee pushed him to give her some information.

Jackson stood up from his seat and walked around the desk to her. He put his hands on her shoulders as his eyes began to moisten up. She looked back at him in shock, knowing what his expression meant.

"My daughter," Jackson finally wrapped his arms around Greenlee, hugging her hard. "You're my daughter," he repeated emotionally.

Greenlee stood frozen in his arms. She stared straight ahead as she tried to figure out exactly how she was feeling about all this. Jackson backed his head away to get a good look at her – it felt like he was only now seeing her for the first time.

"I'm sorry," Greenlee started swinging her head back and forth. There were tears in her eyes now. "I can't… I just can't." She pushed him away and fled the office. Her emotions were yelling a million different feelings to her at once and her head was throbbing again, but she couldn't stop running. She made it to her car and started driving as fast as she could until she reached her building. She raced to the elevator and pushed the button repeatedly until her lift came for her and took her to her floor. As soon as the doors opened, she burst through to get to her loft. She fiddled for the key that would get her through the final door; eventually getting a solid grip on it and thrusting it into the keyhole. Finally, she had access. Leo was sitting in front of her on the couch and watching something on the television. She ran to him and threw her arms around him as she finally let the tears fall. _I'm never ever letting go_.

She expected to feel her husband's comforting arms around her, but his touch never came. She picked her wet face up to see Leo still staring straight ahead at the TV. "Please hold me, Leo," she pleaded through her tears. "I need you to hold me."

He only pointed his finger ahead of him, motioning for her to look at the screen. She saw a DVD running in constant playback: a couple seconds of her smiling and leaning towards a blond haired young man, then a half-second of static, and then a second of the young man with his hands on her face and kissing her. She looked in shock and confusion at the screen. It wasn't clear from the last part of the clip if she was kissing back, but from the first image it sure looked like she was interested in a little fun. She looked at Leo in worry, afraid of what might happen next.

He turned his head to her slowly; the pain was clear in his eyes. "You remember anything about last night yet?"


	11. Lows and Highs

_She expected to feel her husband's comforting arms around her, but his touch never came. She picked her wet face up to see Leo still staring straight ahead at the TV. "Please hold me, Leo," she pleaded through her tears. "I need you to hold me."_

_He only pointed his finger ahead of him, motioning for her to look at the screen. She saw a DVD running in constant playback: a couple seconds of her smiling and leaning towards a blond haired young man, then a half-second of static, and then a second of the young man with his hands on her face and kissing her. She looked in shock and confusion at the screen. It wasn't clear from the last part of the clip if she was kissing back, but from the first image it sure looked like she was interested in a little fun. She looked at Leo in worry, afraid of what might happen next._

_He turned his head to her slowly; the pain was clear in his eyes. "You remember anything about last night yet?"_

Greenlee tried to remember, but the images that she just saw did nothing to trigger any memories of the previous night. The way Leo was looking at her made her feel like someone had thrust a knife straight into her gut; her world seemed to be collapsing around her. There was so much pain written all over his face – because of something she couldn't even remember doing. _I couldn't have done that. I would never betray Leo and our love like that. It can't be true._

"Please, Greenlee? Give me something here?"

Greenlee tried to dry her face with her hands but her tears started to come out with force now. The revelation of Jackson being her father was one thing – that was a fear of the unknown, she realized that now. But this revelation was different. Much more was at stake here. _I can't lose Leo_.

Leo stood up with his back to his wife and brushed his hands over his face. Part of him wanted to hold her and let that take away both of their pain, but part of him hurt too much to try.

"I would never do this to you," Greenlee pleaded and stood up with him, reaching her hand around his arm and trying to make him look her in the face. "Never! Leo, you and the kids – you're my whole life. I love you with everything I am and I would never ever do anything to hurt you like this. Please, you have to believe me!"

"So, what then?" Leo turned around to her; his voice still filled with pain. "You've never seen this guy before in your life and it's just a coincidence that…" Leo stopped himself with a deep breath. He couldn't bring himself to even let the words come out of his mouth: the woman that he loved more than anything else on the planet was kissing someone else.

"Wait a minute," Greenlee realized when she looked back at the still playing DVD. "That's the guy from the Valley Inn. He was our waiter for lunch the other day, when I was with Simone and Kendall."

Leo stared at the TV for a few moments, watching the playback again. He could feel his teeth and his fists clenching up in anger. "Excuse me," Leo said coldly as he headed for the door.

Greenlee tried to reach for his arm as he passed by her, but he forced his way through her grip. "Leo, wait! Please, tell me everything is okay?"

He ignored her call and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Greenlee slowly collapsed onto the couch, trying to process everything. She stared at the TV screen for a few moments before she couldn't bare the sight of it anymore and used the remote to turn it off. "Damn it!" she cried out as loud as she could, forcefully whipping the remote across the room. She grabbed the nearby pillow and threw her face into it, lying down flat on her stomach and letting the tears fall freely.

----------

The crying was so loud he could barely think straight. But even so, he kept staring through the glass in wonderment.

Jake Martin watched in awe at all of the newborn babies. It's not like this was a rare sight for Pine Valley Hospital's chief of staff – he walked through here every day. But with his wedding coming up soon, he had a newfound appreciation for this spot. For a long time he had thought that Dylan would be an only child his whole life; now he wasn't so sure anymore. _Ah, the beauty of possibilities_.

Jake walked through the maternity ward and continued on towards his office for his lunch break where he knew he had a bag of fresh bagels waiting for him. He reached his office and was surprised to find the door locked. _I don't remember locking it?_

He took out the key from his pocket and opened the door. He looked up and his jaw dropped.

"Hey there," he heard the voice of a familiar woman. "I was looking for a doctor and I hear you're the best."

Jake gulped as he saw Simone sitting with her legs crossed on top of his desk in nothing but a hospital gown. "You heard I'm the best doctor?"

"That too," Simone grinned.

Jake smiled and decided to play along. _Oh Simone and her fun little games – God I love her_. "Well, what seems to be the problem, Miss?"

"Oh, no; no problem," Simone uncrossed her legs and stood up. "See, I'm in desperate need of a physical and like I said, I heard you're the best."

"At giving physicals?"

"Yeah, that too."

Jake grinned and walked in a circle around her. "Well, everything looks absolutely perfect to me. Based on first glance, I'd say you're good to go."

"Oh, but you misunderstand me, Doctor," Simone continued, bating her eyelashes in an overt display of flirting. "You see, I'm getting married soon to this guy – a total stud. I'm crazy in love with him."

"Lucky guy," Jake titled his head.

"Lucky me," Simone added. "So I was hoping for a more in-depth visit. I need to make sure that everything is _in place_ for the wedding night." She removed her gown for the awed doctor. "Care to examine me?"

----------

"So Zach?" Bianca flashed a warm smile at one of her lunch partners. "Tell me: how's life been treating you lately?"

"What are you doing, Binks?" Kendall interrupted her in a harsh whisper. "This is a business lunch, not a social event."

"Excuse me for trying to infect this beautiful Valley Inn meal with some cordiality," she lightheartedly responded. "Speaking of, I'm going to hit the ladies room so how about you two talk, mingle, and not bring up any business till I get back." Bianca got out of her chair and walked away with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Subtle," Kendall commented sarcastically under her breath. "Very subtle." She looked across the table at Zach. _Note to self: kill Bianca later_.

Zach could feel that Kendall's guard was up. He watched her squirming uneasily for a comfortable position in her seat out of the awkwardness at it just being the two of them sitting there. And the truth was he felt a little awkward too. Somewhere inside he was thankful that Bianca had given them some alone time, but he also had no idea what on earth to say to her. What had Leo told him? Honesty was the key to happiness? Running through a brick wall seemed easier.

A minute past with nothing but awkward silence between the two of them.

"I want to be honest with you," Zach finally began. "I just don't know where to start."

Kendall's eyes suddenly perked up at the out of nowhere comment. "Zach, what are you saying?"

Zach leaned forward; his arms rested on the table while his head pointed down at them. "I guess… what I mean is…" he stumbled around what he wanted to say. Kendall couldn't remember ever seeing Zach this uncomfortable before. "I…"

"Zach, Kendall," a determined looking Leo rushed up to them.

Kendall closed her eyes in disappointment at the interruption. _He was finally opening up to me._

"I need to find someone," Leo continued through rushed breaths. "Blond hair, supposed to work here…"

"Whoa," Kendall finally took a good look at Leo. "Dude, you look pissed. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it will be once I find that creep," Leo responded, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

Kendall thought she had stepped into the bizzaro world. Zach was almost opening up and Leo looked madder than hell – two things she couldn't remember ever seeing before.

"Greenlee said he served you the other day here, when you were with Simone. You see him here today?"

"Uh, I think so," Kendall looked around for him. "Um… oh, there he is," she pointed across the room at a waiter carrying a tray of food.

Leo followed her finger and saw him. His fists clenched up in anger again at the sight of his face. Yep, that was the guy from the tape alright.

"Leo, what are you doing?" Kendall tried to ask as he walked away. Leo looked intense – this wasn't going to be pretty.

Leo walked over to the other side of the room and tapped the blond haired waiter on the shoulder. The man turned around, only catching a quick glimpse of Leo's oncoming fist before it slammed into his face.


	12. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The gorgeous weather days in Pine Valley had seemed to be coming to a close for the year, so when a sunny and beautiful Saturday was handed out on a silver platter, it had to be taken advantage of. Greenlee and Holly decided to take the opportunity for a nice mother and daughter lunch in the park.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Holly apologized after she finished the last of her milk shake. "But I hate it when you and Daddy are fighting. It breaks my heart."

"Mine too, sweetheart," Greenlee sighed. _You can't even imagine how much_.

"But why can't you at least tell me what happened? Maybe I can help?"

Greenlee loved her daughter for caring so much – such a sweet girl. But there really was nothing she could do. Greenlee thought the days of her having to bail Leo out of jail were long gone – until she got the call that he was arrested for physically attacking a waiter at the Valley Inn in front of a room full of people. _I guess I knew that was coming. He always said that when it came to me he'd punch anyone. But how did that scumbag get so close? And how did Leo get that DVD?_

"Mommy?" Holly noticed her mother spacing out in thought. "I mean it. I really want to help."

"I know you do," Greenlee sighed again as she tried unsuccessfully to not look so outwardly bothered by the situation. "Don't worry about it. Your father and I have been through much worse."

"Really? Because I don't know what I would do if you wouldn't work it out. I mean, you want to know why I love those love stories so much, Mommy? It's because you and Daddy are always so in love, so I take my stories and pretend that it's me in there playing out my own love story because I want to be like you. I want to pretend to be as in love and happy as you are."

Greenlee smiled affectionately and put her arm around her daughter. _I never thought I would be anyone's role model for anything_. "You're going to have that for real soon enough, I know it. And your father and I are going to be back to being crazy in love and looking at each other again in that way that freaks your brother out so much in no time, I promise. But I don't want to talk about that anymore. You still haven't told me anything about how school is going so far."

Holly's face brightened up; excited about the new topic of conversation. "I love it so far! Miranda and I are having an awesome time goofing around – oh, don't worry, I do some work too."

"Nice. Now tell me what you really want to tell me."

Holly blushed. Her mother was good all right. "Michael. His name is Michael and he's sooo cute."

Greenlee wore a proud expression for her little girl. Sure a lot of mothers might dread these talks, but Greenlee loved it. Besides, it wasn't like Holly could get into any more trouble than she had, right? "Go on."

"Well, he almost asked me out on Thursday. I mean, he started talking to me about movies and stuff and said that we should hang out sometime. Then Miranda told me that he asked her about me – the 'does she have a boyfriend' type stuff."

"He's got a good eye then," Greenlee smiled. "I always knew the guys would be lining up for you – cause you've got your mother's good looks. Now, if you need any coaching on making a guy jealous or anything like that, I'm your girl, right?"

"Of course," Holly laughed. "I've got the coolest mom ever."

"And don't you ever forget it," Greenlee laughed back. _Leave it to my girl to make me feel better after a rough week_. "You ready to get out of here?"

Holly nodded and started gathering up her trash from lunch.

"Hey gals," they heard another female voice standing over them.

Greenlee looked up and saw Annie and Emma in front of them. _Oh no, not Mrs. Sweetness. Not even Holly can get me in a good enough mood to deal with this_.

"Beautiful day today, huh?" Annie told them, her smile as wide as ever. "We were on our way to go roller skating. There is a rink and a place to rent blades at the other end of the park, and Emma loves to prove how much better she is at it than me. Aidan wanted to join us, but he got stuck on a job."

Greenlee tried to smile at Annie as she babbled on. It took real effort to look at her as a real person and not picture her in a clown noise; but when she mentioned Aidan wanting to come with his family, Greenlee's expression shrunk again. _Leo would rather watch paint dry than be with me right now._

"You can come too if you want," Emma offered to Holly. "But I will warn you, I'm crazy competitive at stuff I'm good at, so don't even try to race with me unless you want to lose."

Holly excitedly turned to her mother; she _loved_ skating. It was also nice to have an older girl like Emma taking an interest in her. "Is it okay?"

"Course," Greenlee answered, trying to force a smile. She was feeling so good again until Annie showed up, rubbing her happiness in her face. _Yeah I know – I deserve it; cosmic payback for doing the same thing to Kendall_.

"Why don't you girls go on ahead and we'll be with you in a minute," Annie suggested after she noticed Greenlee's long face. She sat down next to Greenlee. "Is everything okay? You look a little down."

Greenlee didn't answer. No way in hell was she going to open up to someone she barely knew, let alone one that got on her last nerve.

"Is this about what happened with Leo at the Valley Inn when he hit that poor waiter? Kendall told me she saw the whole thing."

"Things got a little rocky at home, no big deal," Greenlee tried to brush her off.

"Maybe I can help," Annie offered, placing her hand on Greenlee's shoulder. "I'm a really good listener."

Greenlee seethed at her touch. Whoever said that opposites attract never saw this conversation. She wanted to get as far away from little miss perfect as soon as possible. She looked up to see Jackson Montgomery approaching and couldn't stand up fast enough to give him a hug. _I have never been so happy to see you_. Jackson was shocked, but hugged her back. "I was hoping to find you," he told her. "Leo actually told me you were here today with Holly. I was hoping we could talk."

Greenlee turned to Annie, very happy with her legitimate excuse to get rid of this woman. "Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"By all means," she answered courteously, even though she was confused at what Greenlee duPres and Jackson Montgomery had to do with each other and her face showed it. "I'll go catch up with the girls."

Greenlee waited for her to leave before she gave her body a quick and violent shake, as if to rid herself of any of the infectious creamy goodness that had rubbed off on her.

"Maybe you can explain what that was?" Jack requested, still feeling shocked by the hug. "Last time you saw me, you couldn't run away fast enough."

"Believe me, you beat Annie in a walk any day of the week," Greenlee answered, rolling her eyes.

"So I'm just your excuse, is that it?"

"No, Jackson," she apologized. "I didn't mean it like that." She tried to come up with the right thing to say, but couldn't figure out what that was.

"Okay look, here's how it is," Jackson began nervously. "This whole thing snuck up on me too. But I'm glad it happened. I'm happy to now know the truth, that you're my daughter, after all these years of living in the dark. And I would like the chance to really be your father, Greenlee."

Greenlee gave it a little thought. She had been so preoccupied with other things that she hadn't given much time to the idea of her long lost father and what she wanted out of him. "You can walk me to this roller skating rink," Greenlee suggested with a shrug. "I have to catch up with Holly there anyway."

"My pleasure," he answered as they started walking side by side.

They walked in silence for a few seconds before Greenlee felt like she finally found the words to match her feelings. "I'm sorry about running out on you before, Jack. It's just that I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this information."

"Well, maybe we can take it one step at a time – kind of like we are doing now."

"I think I can deal with that," Greenlee smiled.

Jack smiled back proudly. _That's my daughter's smile_. "So how about this as an idea for step two?" Jack suggested, stopping right in front of her to make sure he had her full attention. "I'm having a family dinner at my house tomorrow night. No pressure on you, but I would really love it if you could come and bring the family with you. And maybe even dress up a little because it's not every day I can celebrate having a long lost daughter, and I want to do it right."

Greenlee looked up into the tall man's eyes. They showed a caring man beneath the surface – a look she never saw in Roger. "I can't promise you I'm ever going to want this, Jack," she told him. "But one dinner… I'll think about it." _We'll see if Leo is even talking to me by then._

----------

Leo entered the modest looking office in the back of the police station and was greeted by the extended hand of Pine Valley's chief of police.

"Jesse Hubbard," the man introduced himself. "Thanks for coming down here, Leo. Why didn't you bring your wife? This has everything to do with her as well."

"She was out when you called," Leo explained. "So I came on my own."

"That's fine; you're welcome to take a seat of course."

Leo sat down across from Jesse and waited for the big revelation that seemed to be coming from that phone call. "The waiter that you attacked because of what happened with your wife: Craig Monroe. He was arrested last night as part of a drug bust."

"Sounds wonderful," Leo gave a sarcastic response. Ever since he saw that DVD, he was nowhere near his usual jovial self.

"I also talked to some people at the restaurant where your wife went that night," Jesse continued. "The manager said he remembered the guy. He claimed that he kicked Monroe out when he wouldn't leave a petite woman alone, matching your wife's description by the way, who looked too drunk to defend herself. He said he went to the back to call a cab for her but she had left the restaurant before he got back. That would explain how she ended up walking around aimlessly before your brother found her. But Leo, they don't serve alcohol there. One of the workers admitted that she was able to get a cup of champagne out of him, but she was perfectly sober then."

"So you're saying she wasn't drunk," Leo realized.

"In all likelihood, more like she was drugged," Jesse confirmed.

Leo mentally kicked himself in frustration. _Damn it! Why couldn't I just believe her_?

"When we arrested Monroe," Jesse went on. "He had a date book on him. Inside it was the name Greenlee duPres with a circle around it; and a phone number was scribbled down underneath it. It's not a listed number, but we're still trying to track it down right now."

"God, I'm such an idiot," Leo covered his face with his hands, very annoyed at himself. "I knew Greenlee would never do something like that to me. I knew it." _Why did I have to be such a jerk to her? She loves me too much to hurt me like that. _"So this guy was tracking Greenlee; and the DVD being sent to my home was no accident. Someone helped Monroe with this job."

"Could be. He could have been stalking her; or had something to gain by doing this, maybe trying to get a different kind of tape out of her. If that was the case, Monroe probably tried the social approach first and when that didn't work he could have put something in her drink when she wasn't looking. Bottom line, Leo, for one reason or another this creep was definitely targeting your wife; that's what you both needed to know. If we find out more details, we'll be in touch."

"Thanks, officer," Leo shook his hand and left the office. He had to get back to Greenlee as fast as he could. Every second that went by without him apologizing was too long. _I need to get to Greenlee and tell her how much I love her and how sorry I am for not believing her. I should have known something else was going on. Like someone just happened to be at the restaurant taping the scene and was nice enough to send it my way? How freaking gullible can I be? Leo duPres – prepare to grovel like you've never groveled before._


	13. Dinner Party II

"Let's go people; move it, move it, move it!" Leo yelled to the troops. "We got a grandfather to see."

"Is Uncle David going to be there?" David Jr. asked his father on his way towards the door.

"Sorry, wrong side of the family, buddy," Leo pointed out. "No way he's making this one."

David let out the same sigh of disappointment that his father had become all too familiar with these last few weeks. "It's still family," Leo tried to make him see the positive. "This is your first ever sane grandparent so try and be a little excited, alright?"

Greenlee and Holly came out next in identical strapless dresses: Greenlee's in a soft beige to accentuate her long light colored hair flowing over her shoulders, and Holly's in light blue with a matching blue ribbon in her long dark hair that tied it into a ponytail.

"What do you think, Daddy?" Holly spun herself around to show off. "Do we look good or what?"

"Two most beautiful women on the planet," Leo grinned. He motioned for Holly to come close to him and whispered in her ear: "If you can get David onto the elevator and downstairs so I can have five minutes alone with your mom before we go, I'll take you shoe shopping myself next weekend. Five pairs of shoes, no price restrictions. We have a deal?"

"For sure," she smiled. "Come on, David," She told her brother loudly. "Let's leave Mom and Dad for a minute so they can be all alooone."

"Yeah, yeah; tease all you want, kiddo," Leo called after her.

"Bye," Holly teased again, making smooching faces into the air while she walked out backwards into the hallway. Leo shut the door behind her and turned around to his wife. "Come here, Greens," he extended his arms to her as his eyes glowed brightly at the woman he loved. She walked up to him, loving every second of Leo looking at her again like she's the most irresistible thing he's ever seen, and let him rest his hands on her hips. "You look incredible, baby. If we didn't have a party to go to, that dress would be coming off right now."

"You don't look so bad yourself," Greenlee admired Leo in his white dress shirt. Seeing Leo dressed up for anything was a rare sight indeed.

"I just… you know? I want to apologize again for how I acted last week."

"I think you did a great job apologizing last night," Greenlee told him with a satisfied smile as she gave him a once over.

"Still, I'm going to say it again. I was an idiot for ever doubting you, and I'm never going to make that mistake again. So the next time you tell me you saw a pig flying, I'll ask how high. The next time you tell me that monkeys ate my shorts, I'll ask how many. The next time you tell me…"

Greenlee grabbed the back of his head and gave him a long passionate kiss. "You shutting up now?" she asked with a smile. Leo put his hand over his mouth and pretended to zipper it shut. "I get it, Leo. Really – I understand. That DVD looked pretty damning. Let's just make a vow right now to say that we're never ever going to take what we have for granted, and that we will always remember how much we love each other so that nothing like this happens again, okay?" Leo stood still with his mouth still closed. "You can talk now," Greenlee pointed out with a chuckle.

"Okay, here's my vow: I Leo duPres vow to love you Greenlee duPres, and never doubt you again; and no matter how hard it might be, I vow to make love to you constantly."

Greenlee laughed and grabbed his face with her hand. "I'm going to hold you to that," she told him with a raised eyebrow. "So come on, let's go; the kids are waiting," she told him, going for the door. She had her hand on the doorknob when Leo turned her back around and pulled her up against him. "No, no, no. I paid for five minutes and believe me I'm going to use them," Leo told her with a mischievous smile. "They can wait the couple more minutes I have left."

"What do you have in mind?" Greenlee asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Leo grinned as he lowered his face to hers; letting his lips do the rest of the talking.

----------

"Hey guys!" Jackson Montgomery warmly greeted the duPres family. He was already looking sharp in a suit and tie, but his bright expression is what stood out. "Come in! You don't know how happy it makes me that you all decided to come."

Greenlee gave him an awkward smile. Once they had reached the door, the strangeness of the entire situation had hit her once again. She wasn't sure how to talk to him.

"Well, we're all happy to be here," Leo spoke up after noticing his wife's reluctant attitude.

"We've got some appetizers out in the den so go mingle. The alcohol is for the adults only of course."

Holly noticed Miranda inside and excused herself. David didn't feel quite as at home as his sister, not sure yet of what to make of his new grandfather and not having a friend around like Holly did that he could hang out with. Jackson picked up on it and bent down with his hands on his knees to talk to him. "You a basketball fan, David?"

"I guess so."

"Well, I've got a hoop out back. We already have someone out there playing and I think you can take him. You up for it?"

David nodded, finally showing some enthusiasm. "Kendall's son is out there. He thinks he's the next LeBron James," Jack explained to Leo and Greenlee. "Honey!" he called. "Our guests of honor are here!"

After Jack left with David to show him to the backyard, Leo kissed his nervous wife on the top of her head. "I know how weird this all feels to you," he told her soothingly. "But we're going to do fine. No matter what happens with Jackson, you've got me and the kids locked up forever."

"Hello Leo. Greenlee." Leo eyes widened in shock; he knew that voice. _This is not happening_. He saw Greenlee trying to hold in her laughter at the site of the woman that Jackson had called to greet them. "Come on, Leo, you can't be that unhappy to see me," Brooke English smiled.

"You're Jackson's 'honey?" Leo asked.

"If that's one way of saying his wife, then yes," she answered. "Come on, follow me."

"Oh God, kill me now," Leo whispered to Greenlee.

"I know how weird this all feels to you," Greenlee mocked Leo with the same words he used to her. "But we're going to do fine. No matter how badly Brooke hates your guts, you've got me and the kids locked up forever."

Leo shook his head at her. "You are so going to pay for that."

Brooke finally stopped in front of them when she reached an open doorway. "Food is in here. Feel free to mingle."

"Brooke, wait a second," Leo stopped her before she could leave them. _Might as well get this over with now._

"Oh you don't have to say it, Leo," Brooke seemed to know exactly where he was going. "I never thought it was possible that you would be my son-in-law again and I'm sure that goes both ways, but there are no hard feelings about what happened in the past. This whole thing is really important to Jackson, so that makes it really important to me too. You are both family now."

"You sure?"

"Yes. What happened with Laura was a lifetime ago. It's dead and buried."

"How is she doing?" Leo asked nervously. He really did care, but damn this was an awkward conversation.

"She's good. She's doing really good; living in Chicago, working with a magazine out there."

"Good, I'm glad." Leo gave her a smile. "As long as she's happy."

"Oh, she is. She even got engaged about a month ago to a real sweetheart: I think his name was Richie Novak."

Leo felt someone tap him on the shoulder and turned around to get a big hug from Erica Kane. "Oh, Leo, it's so good to see you after all these years!"

Brooke looked up to Jackson who had just come up beside her. "Why did we have to invite her again?" she sneered.

"Relax, she's family too," Jackson answered.

"It's good to see you too, Erica," Leo told her when she finally released her hold on him.

"And what about me?" Greenlee snickered. "You miss me too?"

Erica gave her a quick glance. "Hi Greenlee," she told her coldly and quickly before turning back to Leo. "So Leo, you have to tell me what you've been up to for so long!"

Greenlee laughed off Erica's attitude and went to get herself a glass of wine. She saw Kendall and Bianca standing there talking. "How's the world of cosmetics going, ladies?"

"How's the world of sitting on my lazy butt all day and living off my trust fund going, Greenlee?" Kendall jumped into sparring mode, assuming that's what Greenlee was there for.

"Leo helps me get plenty of exercise," Greenlee countered, flashing as happy looking a smile as she could. She had really meant to ask Kendall and Bianca a serious question, but once Kendall threw her a bone, she couldn't help but spar back.

Bianca stepped between the two of them. "Would you two knock it off? Kendall – she's Uncle Jack's daughter. And Greenlee – this is your father's house. I know he wouldn't want you two going at it here. This is supposed to be a party – a celebration – not a wrestling ring."

"You know the wrestling ring thing isn't a bad idea," Kendall suggested. "I wouldn't mind messing up that pretty little face."

"You might want to run that by Leo first, you know? Since I actually have a man who likes the sight of my face."

"Okay, quit it!" Bianca tried to stop them again.

"We okay in here?" Jackson came over to them when he heard Bianca raising her voice. Kendall took a deep breath to calm herself down and nodded. Greenlee shrugged to show she was in total control of herself. "Okay, well come on over here. I want to make a toast."

Kendall stuck with Bianca and Greenlee had to pry Erica away from Leo to get herself under her husband's arm.

Jack stepped up next to Brooke and put one arm around her as he held a glass of wine in the other. "Thanks for coming everyone for what is really a very special night for me. I just want to tell everyone how happy it makes me to be able to celebrate having found out about my daughter. And I know as she stands in front of me that she's already all grown up, but I still couldn't be prouder to be able to call her that. So I would like to make a quick toast: here's to Greenlee, to the good surprises in life, and to many years of happiness together!"


	14. When the Past Haunts the Present

Leo felt his eyes closing on him as he lay back on the couch. And why not? He was just too darn comfortable. It was another fabulous day of lounging around in his sweatpants and a plain white tee shirt with an endless supply of chips and beer – life was good.

A knock at the door startled him back into consciousness. He picked himself up off the couch to get to the door. _Hmm_, _can't be Greenlee back already. David out of his gloom and doom funk maybe?_ He opened the door to see it was a different relative that was standing there.

"Hey, Leo!" Maggie Stone stood at the door with a package in her hand.

"Maggie! Great to see you! Come on in!" With the package she was holding in the way of being able to give her a hug, Leo leaned over instead and gave his cousin a kiss on the cheek. "You can put that down anywhere."

"Oh, I can't take credit for this," Maggie put the package down on the floor. "It was sitting outside the door when I got here. Bringing it in is the least I can do after not getting off my butt in New York for long enough to come see you until now. Greenlee around?"

"Nope. She left to maybe get a haircut, or have her nails done, or one of those other girly type things that I always tune out for when people talk about."

"So you're just here relaxing away, aren't you?" Maggie giggled, taking notice of Leo's day clothes.

"Hey, I've got nothing to be ashamed of," Leo laughed. "I'm man enough to admit that I mooch off my wife and I'm damn proud of it. And after having something close to a real job for so long, I think I deserve a break. Even Greenlee is enjoying the down time right now, but I'm sure she'll be back to trying to take over the world soon enough."

"As long as you're not bored," Maggie smiled. "So you've already seen everyone, huh? Like Bianca?" she asked with her eyes giving away a little too much emotion.

"She seems happy," Leo answered gently, trying to go easy on Maggie's obviously still raw feelings.

Maggie forced the smile to stay on her face. "That's good," she told him. "I'm happy she's happy."

"If you want to talk about it," Leo put his arm around his cousin and led her towards the couch. "I'm just here relaxing away. You've got my undivided attention as long as you want it; unless of course you want to talk about haircuts, nails, or other girly things like that."

"Maybe I'll tell you everything in a bit," she answered. "But it was a real drive getting over here, so do you mind if I use your bathroom first?"

"Go for it," Leo offered his hand out towards the bathroom. Maggie smiled and thanked him before leaving the room. Leo walked over to the unmarked package that she had brought in, deciding to take the opportunity to check out what was inside. He brought it over with him to the couch and opened it up to find a newspaper folded inside. The front page had a huge headline:

"_PROTEUS ESCAPES: HOLDS WOMAN AT KNIFEPOINT BEFORE CAPTIVE AUDIENCE."_

He took a quick glance at the date on the top of the paper: April 16, 2002. A DVD suddenly fell out of the paper and onto the floor. He picked it up, looking for some kind of label, but found nothing. He put it into the player and turned it on. _I'm too curious for my own good_. The screen showed a woman doing a breaking news report:

"_Just received word that the Miller's Falls hostage situation has taken a turn for the worse. Our source obtained a report that a shot or shots have been fired at the scenic overlook area situated above the falls. Now, this is the location where the life-and-death drama is believed to be playing out. I must stress that Chief Devane has not confirmed that gunfire was exchanged. No injuries have been reported, and there has been no movement from the area where emergency medical staff are stationed. Excuse me. Okay, we now believe that four individuals are involved in the standoff. The hostage's identity has been confirmed. It is Ms. Greenlee Smythe."_

"Okay, that's enough out of you," Leo rolled his eyes and turned off the TV. He went and took the DVD out and wrapped the newspaper around it. "Greenlee is never going to relieve any of those things ever again," he told his garbage before he tossed it in the trash. "So let's just pretend that we never saw each other, got it?"

Leo took out his cell phone. "Maggie! I gotta make a quick call; I'll be right back!" He took his phone outside into the hallway, just to make sure his cousin wouldn't overhear anything. "Yeah, this is Leo duPres. I need to speak to Chief Hubbard please?...Thanks… Chief Hubbard, thank you for taking my call. I think we can confirm the stalker theory… I got a little present today from someone who is definitely trying to scare Greenlee off or get under her skin… Well, I told her that Monroe slipped her something because he was probably looking for a little fun, that's it… No, Greenlee doesn't know about this latest one. And I'm going to make sure it stays that way…"

----------

Greenlee finished off her glass of bubbly in the lobby of the Valley Inn and went back to checking out her hair with her pocket mirror. When she told Leo she wanted to change something – a new home/new look kind of thing – Leo had zoned out of their conversation almost immediately. She wasn't insulted though. Talking about her look with Leo wasn't going to get her anywhere unless he was the one doing the complimenting – or if she threatened to shave her head, start using blue lipstick, or color her eyebrows pink. But once he actually saw something new on her, he was always 100% interested and 100% into making her feel like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She brushed her hand through her newly dyed long brown hair and struck a couple poses into her mirror. Besides for the longer length, it was the same look she wore when they left Pine Valley before she had to change it for her new identity. Oh yeah – he was going to like it. And if the hair wasn't enough to make his head turn, she had a newly acquired black halter top in the car that was sure to do the trick.

She looked up and saw a tall and rugged man approaching her. She remembered his face from the day she saw Kendall at Enchantment. "I take it you're Zach Slater?"

"May I have a seat, Mrs. duPres?" he asked.

Greenlee motioned that it was okay so he pulled up a nearby chair. "Anyone who is running through the Kendall ringer deserves enough sympathy from me to warrant a conversation," she explained to him.

"Your husband had some good advice," Zach responded. "But I guess you have other ideas."

"No, no matter what anyone has told you, I really don't want Kendall to be alone and miserable her whole life. And if Leo likes you and he's on your side, and you're not really some long lost relative of his or running a major drug empire, then I'm on your side too. But that's not what you came over here to talk to me about, is it?"

"No, it's not," Zach nodded. "As you may have heard, Enchantment is a little low on good people right now, and Bianca has been pushing me to talk to you. I looked into it; you running Enchantment single-handedly for a while, and then your work after you left Enchantment. You were the hottest thing out there before you left town, so you just tell me what I can do to get you on my payroll and we'll make it happen."

"Hmm, hottest thing out there?" Greenlee repeated with a smile. "I'll give you this much, you know how to flatter a girl, Slater. But I'm going to have to turn you down."

"Why's that?"

"Let's just say I don't take orders well. I got everything I wanted out of working under people, so those days are over. When I decide to get back in the game, it's going to be on my terms with my rules; with no one to report to or get told what to do by."

"I can respect that philosophy," Zach sat back in admiration. Leo said she was a firecracker; looked like she was a determined one too. "You sure there is nothing I can do to convince you to give us a try?"

"Zilch," Greenlee affirmed as she shook her head. "It's not like I need the money. What I want, you can't offer. Besides, if you ever want Kendall to speak to you again, this would be suicide."

"I see," Zach crossed his arms. He was disappointed, but impressed by this woman. He could definitely relate to not liking the idea of taking orders while others were in control. "The issue of Kendall never speaking to me again aside, if you ever change your mind, the offer still stands."

Greenlee looked up and saw David Hayward sitting alone all the way down at the bar. "Would you excuse me?" she packed up her purse and stood up.

"By all means," Zach stood up with her out of respect.

Greenlee walked through the length of the lobby and into the bar. David sat there at the far end with a beer, looking downcast. She walked over to him and took the drink right out of his hands as he was bringing it to his mouth. "It looks like you've had enough to drink," she told him, noticing his bloodshot eyes.

"Hey, give me that," David reached for the cup before he saw who it was standing next to him. "Oh, Greenlee," he realized. He really wanted that drink, but he still had a soft spot for his sister-in-law and he wasn't going to fight over it with her.

"Come with me, David," she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a nearby table.

"I'm not drunk, by the way," David protested honestly. But it was times like these that he hated his high tolerance for alcohol – he couldn't even get drunk right! "Let me guess," he told her bitterly. "Leo sent in some reinforcements. He got tired of trying to deal with me himself so he sent the wife to do his job for him."

Greenlee took a deep breath and stared into his eyes before she started talking, hoping her own soft brown eyes could help soften his attitude. "For your information, Leo wanted to give you your space and let you work it all out on your own. But I'm going to give it a try anyway."

"Lucky me?" David rolled his eyes.

"No," she put her hand on top of his. "Lucky me. Because I love you, David. You're family and I missed you like crazy, just like I told you I would. You remember that day in Anna's office? The day we said goodbye? It's burned on my brain, David. I've thought about you almost every day since – worrying about you and hoping that life was working out for you – just like your brother did."

David seemed to mellow towards her for a moment. It was easy to be cold and angry when Leo was around, because Leo had seen that side of him so many times in the past. But the feeling he had with Greenlee was different. He remembered how badly he wanted to protect her when she thought Leo was dead, and it was that feeling that was coming to the surface now. Fighting with Leo was one thing, but looking at Greenlee as anything other than the little sister that he wanted to look out for was hard to do.

"And I'm glad I saw you here," she continued. "Because I also need to thank you for taking care of me that night that you found me – Leo told me you brought me home. So thank you."

David nodded, trying to avoid looking straight into her eyes.

"Don't you get it, David? You saw me and realized that I needed help and you were there for me. It's like I told you when we said goodbye: you're a good person. I know it; your brother knows it; why don't you know it?"

"Then why am I cursed that everyone I care about ends up gone?" David sadly shook his head. "I shouldn't be here with you right now," he stood up to leave. "Before something happens to you too."

Greenlee reached out for his arm to stop him. "So you think you are helping me now?" she protested. "Do you know that almost every night, I have to look into my son's beautiful brown eyes and try and tell his heartbroken face why he can't see his Uncle David. That's not helping anyone; not you, not me, not my son."

David pulled his arm back from Greenlee and sighed before he turned his back to her. He couldn't listen to more of this for much longer. The longer he stayed with her, the closer she was to getting through to him; and he couldn't let that happen – not if he wanted to keep them all safe. "Please don't go, David?" she called out after him, but to no avail. He walked out of the bar leaving her with his half-full cup of beer. She stared down at it for a couple of seconds and sighed. _I'm not giving up on you, David._


	15. Trick or Treat

"Yo, Spider Man," Leo shouted to his costumed son when he heard a knock at the door. "Can you get that, please?"

David Jr. ran over to answer the door. "Pow!" yelled a fake gun toting Dylan Martin the second David was in his sights. "Bet your spider sense never saw that one coming."

"Only cause I'm not wearing my mask," David defended himself.

Dylan entered the loft with his dad and future stepmother following close behind. Leo stepped out into the room, just finishing buttoning up the top of his policeman uniform. "Happy Halloween, guys!" he greeted his guests. Dylan instinctively raised his toy gun at the officer and pretended to shoot him a couple times. "Sorry, I've got a bulletproof vest on under here," Leo indulged him. He looked up to see the costumes of his other intruders: Simone in full out pirate gear, and Jake right beside her as her trusty parrot. "Hey Greens! We've got company out here!"

"Be out in a minute!" his wife called back.

"Well, Leo, I'd say the blue is a good look for you," Simone joked. "Trying to be on the right side of the law for a change?"

"Exactly what I was going for," Leo smiled. "I may even hit the town later in my squad car – arrest a rogue pirate or two; unless of course their handy sidekick parrots are too big for a cage."

"Hey, I'd go miniature and sit on this lady's shoulder all day if I could," Jake quipped. "But the costume only comes in people size."

"Okay!" Greenlee came out in a plain white tank top and brown capris. "This is why I love Halloween," she smiled and extended her hand towards the bathroom where her daughter emerged on cue. Holly came out wearing a tiara and an elegant princess gown; her beautiful look completed by the gradually curling long hair that her mother helped her style. Greenlee smiled proudly at her masterpiece. "I say, dress up all you want – but Halloween is a great excuse to look absolutely fabulous."

"And I do look fabulous," Holly glowed in her long light pink dress. Simone clapped for her while Jake and Leo whistled in approval. "Thank you, thank you," Holly played true to character by curtsying for the group.

Miranda walked straight through the still open front door in a bright red devil suit with some other girls following behind her. "Girl, you look awesome!" she told Holly.

"Same to you!" Holly answered back. "Thanks for helping me with the hair, Mommy. See you later." Greenlee could only put her hands over her mouth and blush as she watched Holly leave with her friends. She was so proud of her little girl: drop dead gorgeous, having friends to hang out with, and not letting one ounce of any of it go to her head.

"We should get going too," Jake suggested. "So much candy to steal and so little time to do it. Now, David. I have somewhere on me a map that leads to so much candy it will make your head spin. You ready? Okay, let's go." Leo and Greenlee walked them all out to the elevator and saw David off with them in their search for buried candy and whatever else they were planning for the night.

Leo put his arm over his wife's shoulder and led her back towards their door. "So Greenlee," Leo smiled and took out his fake handcuffs, twirling them around on his finger. "Not wearing a costume on Halloween is in direct violation of section 362B of the hot wife code, which says explicitly that all hot wives must dress up on Halloween, preferably in something very skimpy. Give me one good reason that I shouldn't cuff you right now?"

Greenlee laughed and traced her finger down her husband's muscular chest, admiring the feel of him through his tight uniform. "Oh, I promise, officer," she smiled seductively. "You give me five minutes to prove my innocence and you won't regret it."

"Alright, five minutes. But I'm keeping the cuffs ready just in case."

"I should hope so," Greenlee grinned and then ran off to the bedroom. "Here's how I see it!" she called out as Leo waited for her. "We live on the top floor of a building in a loft that has been vacant for fifteen years. No kids are coming trick or treating up here tonight."

Leo fiddled with the handcuffs as he waited. _That's exactly why these babies sound like a great idea._ He sat down on the couch and waited patiently for his wife for a couple more minutes.

Greenlee finally walked out in her costume, but Leo was still sitting down on the couch and facing the opposite direction. "Oh Leo," Greenlee seductively called for him to turn around. His eyes shot open at the sight of her. Greenlee stood in front of the bedroom in a vision he hadn't seen in years. A red sash was tied through her hair and draping down her back. She wore a red glittering bikini and a matching bottom that flowed loosely off her legs down to her feet. "Still fits," she laughed, spinning around once to show off her old genie costume. She gracefully walked down the couple of steps to come into the room and leaned sexily against the wall. "Looks like you've scored a genie for the evening, officer. Now I know I've been a bad girl, but maybe you can show me the light."

Leo approached her and put his hands on her waist. "Just tell me I have wishes," he shook his head in awe. "Please for the love of God tell me I get wishes?"

"You've got three," Greenlee purred. She ran her hands down Leo's cheeks and neck until she reached his shirt, which she started to unbutton as he kept his mesmerized eyes locked on her. "Three wishes; absolutely anything you command."

Leo stood still and let her finish removing his shirt. Her hands lay on his exposed chest as she waited for him to react. Leo moved his own hands to her neck and kissed her slowly at first, then progressively harder and more desperately until he was picking her up off of the floor in a rush of passion. They stood connected together, completely lost in each other as their tongues battled. When the feel of her became too much to bear, Leo finally began to carry her towards the bedroom. He stopped for a moment at the entrance and gave her a loving stare. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Greenlee put her finger on Leo's lips. "Why don't you show me?" she purred, removing her finger to once again connect her lips onto his and slip her tongue back into his mouth. He responded in kind as he carried her through the threshold and laid her down flat on the bed.

----------

Leo and Greenlee fell back onto the bed, each panting away to try and catch their breath. Leo couldn't even find the strength to turn his head towards his wife, let alone to pull the covers up over them.

"So…" Greenlee tried to talk through her own gasps for air. "One more… wish… left…" Leo's body stayed completely motionless except for his chest, which grew and shrunk noticeably with every inhale and exhale.

Greenlee caught her breath before he did and turned on her side to face him. As he stayed motionless with his eyes to the ceiling, she let her hand roam free around his muscular chest. "You know, Greens…" he finally told her. "First of all… wow."

"Uh huh," she agreed.

"And second of all… I really need to… start exercising more."

"Isn't that what we were just doing?"

Leo smiled wide-eyed as he found the strength to turn his head to her. He let his eyes wander up and down his wife's uncovered body and replayed in his mind her idea of exercise. "I _really_ need to exercise more."

"So about that last wish?" Greenlee grinned and shifted herself on top of Leo, laying her chin on top of her husband's toned abdomen as she waited eagerly for her orders.

"Five minutes, baby. As soon as the room stops spinning."

Greenlee picked herself up and brought her head directly over Leo's. "You sure you want to wait that long?" she told him suggestively before softly brushing her lips against his. She felt inspired by the moan of pleasure that escaped him and decided to tease him some more by trailing a line of soft kisses down his neck and chest.

Leo pulled her back up to him and kissed her hard before turning her on her side with her back facing him. He snuggled up against her with his arms around her and began kissing her neck with the same teasing soft kisses that she had given him. Noticing her bite down on her lip, he moved up his mouth to nibble on her ear the way she always liked it, before settling back comfortably and simply holding onto her. He was temped to use his last wish on keeping this position forever – she lying comfortably in his strong arms and he feeling the ecstasy of having her close to him. To Leo, this was perfection. _The Leo duPres life scorecard: rich – check; beautiful and healthy kids – check; hardcore in love with the hottest woman this side of civilization – check. Life is good._

He decided that as long as she wasn't asking for more, he was going to hold her like this for as long as he could. She seemed to be just as content as he was, holding onto his left hand as it lay over her navel.

A knock at the door interrupted their peaceful bliss. Greenlee freed herself from Leo's hold and sat straight up on the bed, spending a couple seconds straightening out her messy hair with her hands to prepare to answer the door.

"Come on, ignore it," Leo pleaded with her to stay in bed and pulled their lone sheet up to his waist to keep it from her, encouraging her not to go anywhere.

"Are you sure you want to use your last wish on that?" she grinned and gave him a kiss. "I'll be right back anyway." She ignored the fact that Leo wouldn't give up the sheet and walked to her closet, taking out her purple robe and putting it on. Leo never took his eyes off her, groaning in disappointment when she covered herself up, and watched her take out a handful of candy from his personal stash that he kept in the corner of the room. "You waiting or coming?" Greenlee asked him before she left.

Leo took a quick glance below his sheet. _Greenlee! I just watched you walk across the bedroom buck-naked! What do you think!?!_ "Definitely waiting," he gulped.

"K, be back in a flash," she told him and walked out of the bedroom.

Leo sat up and turned his head to make sure she was in his line of vision for as long as possible. Once she was completely clear of his sight, he collapsed back onto the bed with his arms stretched out wide and a goofy smile on his face.

"_Ah!!!!!"_

Greenlee's scream shot Leo up like a rocket. He ran to her as he held the sheet around his waist, not even wasting the time to tie it securely to his body. He reached the door and saw her holding her hand over her chest as she stared at the skeleton that had collapsed onto the floor by her feet when she opened the door. Greenlee exhaled loudly and started laughing. "Obviously someone's idea of a Halloween prank," she rolled her eyes at Leo. The skeleton's mouth held a piece of paper and Greenlee bent down to pick it up. She unfolded it and read it aloud: "_Trick or treat; is Mrs. duPres ready to handle the heat_?" She walked over to Leo and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. Just some bad Halloween humor." She looked up into Leo's eyes and saw panic. "It's just some bad Halloween humor, right Leo?" she anxiously asked him. He didn't answer, but she could see it in his alarmed eyes that he was hiding something from her. "Leo. What aren't you telling me? Spill!"


	16. The Dead Lady

Simone handed David Jr. his backpack that Greenlee and Leo had dropped off for him the night before. Dylan stood by the door with his own backpack, ready to leave for school. It had been an interesting night last night. Simone and Jake were having a blast with David and Dylan when Greenlee called Simone on her cell, explaining why she needed David to have an impromptu sleepover for the night. Greenlee had already called Holly, asking her to stay over at Miranda's house without explaining exactly why, but still needed a place for David to stay too. She soon brought over what David needed for school as well as a change of clothes for him.

"I still don't understand why I had to stay here last night?" David asked Simone as Jake walked up behind her.

"What? You don't like hanging out with us anymore?" Simone asked, trying to avoid the question.

"No, I had fun. But why wasn't I allowed to go home?"

Simone bent down with her hands on her knees to be face to face with him. "Okay, I'm going to level with you. Your mom called me last night and said there was a gas leak at your place. That's why you had to stay with us."

"Is that dangerous?"

"Well, it can make you start coughing like crazy and get you really sick. It also could kill a lot of brain cells and last I checked you're still in school and need all the brain cells you can get."

David nodded. The sleepover once again sounded like it was a great idea. "Are my mom and dad okay?"

"They are just fine," Jake told him. "And you can trust me on that because I'm the doctor here."

"Come on, David," Dylan called impatiently. "Let's go."

Simone put her hand on David's shoulder. "Don't worry about anything. Your parents are working on getting it fixed right now so you can go home after school. But everyone is safe and okay."

"Okay," David smiled again, feeling better now that he had all the information he wanted.

"Have a good day, boys!" Simone called out to David and Dylan as they left the house for the two block walk to school.

Simone turned to Jake and let out a sigh of relief. "That was a conversation I was really hoping to avoid."

"You did fine," he smiled. "So… a _gas leak_? You really told him there was a gas leak?"

"You had a better idea?"

----------

Jesse Hubbard animatedly shook his head. "No, no, no, absolutely not. There has to be a better explanation."

"That what I tried to tell her," Leo shrugged. After last night, there was no running from it anymore. Monroe could have been explained away, the package featuring some of the worst days of Greenlee's life could have just been an old enemy trying to get under her skin or someone with a really bad sense of humor, but last night was event number three. There was no more hiding from the fact that someone was purposely trying to target Greenlee and wasn't going to stop. '_Is Mrs. duPres ready to handle the heat?_' Those mocking words haunted him – a clear sign that someone was sending a message to her; and that things just might pick up.

Greenlee remained determined, ignoring the police chief's skeptical attitude. "Look, when that DVD got sent to my house, the goal had to be to ruin my relationship with my husband. When that newspaper and recording came, it wasn't only to get under my skin, but it was supposed to remind me what has happened to me because of being with Leo – to scare me off from him. That's my theory. And I only know one person who cares that much about our marriage to try and break it up by going after me."

"Except she's dead," Leo reminded her.

"It wouldn't be the first time you all only _thought_ she was dead," Greenlee pointed out. "It wouldn't even be the second. Or even the third!"

"You do realize you are asking me to search for a dead woman?" Jesse continued to take Leo's side. "I know I'm not one to speak about people not being dead, but people saw her body. You two buried her for goodness sakes!"

"Closet casket," Greenlee quickly countered.

Jesse sighed and reached for the phone on his desk. "Yes, this is Jesse Hubbard of the Pine Valley police department. I need to reach Anna Devane… Tell her it's important." He covered the mouth piece with his hand and directed his attention back to Greenlee. "If you won't believe me, maybe you'll believe her." He turned on the speaker and waited for the former super-spy and Pine Valley chief of police to pick up.

"Officer Hubbard," the voice of a woman with a British accent finally spoke. "Anna Devane here; what can I do for you?"

"Actually, it's what can you do for these people sitting next to me?" Jesse answered.

"Good morning, Anna," Leo spoke up, but immediately realized his mistake. "Oh, I guess it's really afternoon in Paris now," he corrected himself.

"Leo! So good to hear from you! How's everything going over there?"

"It's wonderful," Greenlee answered. "Everything is really wonderful. The kids like it here, we're getting to see some old faces… oh yeah, and Vanessa is back and wants me dead – same old, same old."

"No, that can't be," Anna sounded both confused and worried. "Vanessa is dead. I saw the body myself."

"See," Jesse pointed to the phone. "Just like I told you."

"The truth is that someone definitely has it in for Greenlee," Leo took his turn to speak. "Shocking, I know." Greenlee gave Leo a light slap on the back of his head to tell him that she didn't appreciate being made fun of at a time like this. "Anyway, we just needed to calm Greenlee down from her Vanessa fixation. Thank you for that."

"You sure that's all you need? I still consider you two to be family, after all. If you think someone out there is threatening your safety, just say the word and I'll be on the next flight there to help out any way I can."

"Thank you, Anna," Leo answered. "But that's really okay."

"Yeah," Greenlee agreed. "You don't have to put your life on hold for us."

"Okay. Good luck with everything then."

Jesse turned off the phone after he heard Anna hang up and looked at Greenlee. "That answer your question, Mrs. duPres?"

She looked him straight in the eyes, still looking unconvinced. "I want to see the body."

Leo turned at her in surprise. Even while the two of them were going over her conspiracy theory last night, they never discussed wanting to dig up Vanessa's corpse. Jesse also gave Greenlee a quizzical stare at her suggestion.

She noticed their looks, but stood her ground. "You heard me. You're so sure she's really dead, so let's prove it. I want to exhume that murderous witch's body as soon as possible."

"Whoa, it's not that simple," Jesse cautioned her. "There is a lot of red tape to cut through. You are going to need the proper licenses from the town and from a religious authority, hire an environmental health officer… it's not as simple as walking down to the cemetery right now with a couple of shovels."

Greenlee nodded and took out her cell phone. "If it's red tape we need to cut through, I know the perfect person to speed us up." She waited for Jackson to pick up his cell phone, knowing that if he saw that it was her calling, he would stop whatever he was doing at the moment to talk to her – he was that concerned with making his relationship with his daughter work. "Hey, Jack, it's Greenlee… I have a strange favor to ask of you so please tell me right now that you'll do it… Thank you so much. So I'm having something of a stalker problem and I need to get Vanessa's body above ground to wipe out that possibility – just to be sure… Yeah, I've just been told about the hassles. But I was hoping you could help us expedite things and get this done as soon as possible… Thanks, Jackson. I owe you for this." She ended the call and smiled in satisfaction at Leo. "He says a couple days, tops."

----------

"What did Greenlee want?" David Hayward asked as Jackson put his cell phone back into his pocket.

Jackson wiped his tired eyes as he thought of something to tell him. David had only come to fill out some paperwork with him, but if Greenlee's call concerned Vanessa, David did have every right to know about it.

"It seems my daughter has a bit of a stalker problem," Jackson told him.

"So what was that you were telling her about an exhumation license?" David asked; worried about where he knew this conversation was about to go. "And how she should have a legitimate enough reason to help you secure one quickly?"

"She wants to dig up your mother and make sure she's really dead. Greenlee got the idea in her head that Vanessa could still be alive and after her. And considering it wouldn't be the first time, I should be able to use that to get this done swiftly."

David stood up and paced back and forth for a couple minutes with his hands over his head. _Oh God, it's happening again, isn't it? But that can't be. Vanessa can't still be out there, right?_ _And Greenlee – someone is stalking Greenlee? I can't lose any more people I care about; I just can't._

Jackson sat passively, trying to stay as low key as possible to not get David any more wound up than he already was.

"You told Greenlee it would happen soon? Like a couple days, right?"

"Yes. These things are usually done very early in the morning, so I may not be able to get it set up by tomorrow. But if she wants it done soon, I'm going to make sure it happens soon."

"Okay," David stopped his pacing and looked Jackson straight in the eyes. "If Vanessa is really alive, I deserve to know about it. So as soon as you have a set time for this, you give me a call, Jackson."

Jack gave David his okay and watched him exit the office, opening and closing the door with more force than normal. David looked upset and rightfully so. Even Jackson, no fan of some of David's past dealings, had to feel bad for him because of what kept happening to his family. First Leo and Greenlee left; then it was Anna and their baby; and finally it was the long lost family that had showed up out of the blue. But if Vanessa was back, that would make it impossible for David to find peace – not if the woman who started it all with the suicide of his father was back to torment the people who left her behind.

----------

Zach looked around the furniture store; trying to find something he could get as a wedding present for Jake and Simone if he could, but mostly looking for _her_. He had gotten so close to telling Kendall the truth about how he really felt that day over a month ago at the Valley Inn – before Leo had interrupted them. Ever since, he could barely get out a simple hello to her; feeling too awkward around her even for plain old small talk. But this time he was determined. This time he was going to get it right. He finally saw Kendall enter the store and walked towards her. She looked distracted with something in her hand, so he took the opportunity to _accidentally_ bump into her.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry… oh, Kendall, it's you," he apologized for his _clumsiness_.

"It's okay, Zach," she quickly collected herself.

"So what are you doing here, Kendall?"

"Wedding present shopping. Simone is always saying how she needs to replace that worn out old couch, so I, uh… came here, you know?" she stumbled around the final words, feeling awkward having an out of the office conversation with Zach.

"I had the same idea," he smiled. "About the wedding present shopping, I mean. But I really don't have a clue what to get them. Would you mind helping me out?"

Kendall couldn't find a good reason to say no and started to walk with him. "Wait a minute," she stopped in her tracks. "Since when do you shop? And in a furniture store, no less?" She gasped and covered her mouth when the truth hit her. "Bianca told you I was coming here, didn't she? I'm so going to give that girl a piece of my mind."

"Okay, fine," Zach admitted. "Yes, Bianca told me you would be here. I wanted to speak with you on a neutral ground, so can we go somewhere and talk?"

Kendall uncomfortably took a step back from him. "I don't know what we have to talk about," she told him uneasily. A part of her wanted nothing more than to stay with him, but part of her also wanted to run in the complete opposite direction as fast as she could.

"Please, Kendall?"

She continued to avoid saying yes as her mind tried to come up with a legitimate excuse to be anywhere else.

"Okay. How about this? Let's go talk or you're fired."

Kendall couldn't help but chuckle. "You sure know how to romance a girl," she told him sarcastically.

He put his arm on her back and led her outside the store and began walking side by side with her down the street.

"So," Kendall grew impatient with Zach's silence. "You wanted to talk. Start talking."

Zach reached his hand out in front of her to stop her and make her face him. He took hold of one of her hands and stared into her eyes. "What I've been trying to tell you is…" He paused, trying to find the right words.

"Yes?" Kendall asked hopefully.

"It's… I mean… What I'm trying to say is…" He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. _Screw it; actions speak louder than words_. He put his free hand on her cheek and kissed her, leaving his lips on hers and hoping she would start kissing back. He could feel her unable to back her head away and kissed her again. This time he could feel her start to kiss back.

"No, what am I doing?" Kendall backed away from him, shaking her head to try and free herself from whatever it was that made her lose herself for a second.

"Come on," Zach took her hand again. "Don't do that. You were feeling the same thing I was feeling."

"Which was?" Kendall asked; hoping that his words were true. She knew exactly what she was feeling, and hoped Zach was really feeling it too.

"Well, that I… that I," Zach stumbled around the words. "That I… I care about you."

Kendall's expression turned from hopeful anticipation to extreme disappointment. "That's not good enough," she told him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry; it's just not good enough." She turned and fled towards her car.

Zach watched heartbroken as she drove away, sitting himself down on the curb and replaying in his mind what just happened. Bianca walked out from where she was hiding not far behind Zach and smacked the back of his head.

"You had her, Zach. Why couldn't you just tell her that you love her?"

Zach sat perfectly still. "Because it's the truth."


	17. Careful What You Wish For

Leo, Greenlee, David, and Jesse stood and watched as some workers dug up the area of Vanessa's casket. They were already a couple feet down – it wouldn't be much longer now.

Leo couldn't have been more freaked out by what he was watching. The dead corpse of his mother was about to be unveiled… hopefully. He stood nervously with his arm over his wife's shoulder while she held onto his hand. At such a strange time like this when he didn't know what he should be thinking or feeling, it was good to be able to hold onto something solid – to hold onto the woman about whom he knew exactly how he thought and felt. His brother stood behind them, not having said a word yet since he arrived.

"Your brother looks like he's going to blow a fuse," Greenlee whispered to him.

"At least he cared enough to come," Leo whispered back. "He wants to be part of this. I'd say it's a good sign."

"We got it!" one of the men called out when his shovel struck the top of the casket. Greenlee tightened her hold on Leo as she waited for them to bring it up above ground. _I asked for this. Now it's time to go through with it_.

Jesse approached the closet casket first and was the one to open it up. He looked inside the casket and his movements became noticeably slow as he reached his hand inside.

"Well?" Leo called out to him.

Jesse slowly turned around to face Leo, Greenlee, and David. His expression was stone-faced except for his eyes, which were filled with surprise and alarm. Greenlee broke away from Leo and ran up to the open casket to look inside.

Empty.

"Oh God, no," she covered her mouth in shock and panic. Leo came up to her and held her, letting her tightly wrap her arms around him and bury her head in his chest as he looked over her to take a peak for himself. David came up next to confirm what he had already realized. "Damn it!" he whispered harshly to no one in particular.

Jesse slowly picked up his hand, holding up the note that he had pulled out from inside the casket. "Someone left this for us," he told the group. He scanned the words himself first. "It looks like not only is she alive, but she wanted to send another message."

"Which is?" Leo asked.

Greenlee turned from her husband's chest to face Jesse, but held onto both of Leo's hands and wrapped them around her to hold onto whatever she could of the safe feeling that came with being in his arms. Jesse looked at her first, knowing that the message was intended for her. He then looked at David, knowing that he was probably about to lose it.

He looked back at the note and read it allowed:

"There is more to come. I'm going to hurt you as bad as you hurt me. Chandler got the quick and easy. Nothing compared to what's coming to you."

"What!" David screamed when he heard the words. The realization that he was right all along – that the explosion at the Chandler mansion was no accident – hit him hard; but the fact that his own mother might have been the one to do it sent him into a fit of rage. "My mother killed them! She made me lose them! I swear when I get my hands on that murdering psycho she's going to wish she had stayed dead! You hear that mother!" he started screaming at the top of his lungs. "You're going to wish you never came back!"

Leo rushed over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders to try and calm him down. "David, listen to me. I want her gone as much as you do, but if we're going to bring her down we need to be smart about this."

"But she killed them, Leo," David responded through his clenched teeth. "Vanessa killed my family."

"And we're going to make her pay for that. I get why you feel like this, David; but threatening murder in front of a police chief is never a good idea no matter how much she deserves it. We're going to find her and get her locked up for good this time if they don't decide to go straight to giving her the lethal injection. She'll get hers, I promise."

David broke away from him and took some of his anger out on a nearby tree, punching and kicking it over and over. Leo turned back to Greenlee. _This is not going to happen to her again_. He approached her and took her back into his arms, giving her a comforting kiss on the top of her head. "She's not going to get close to you again, Greenlee, I swear to you on my life."

"She wanted to get under my skin and she did it," Greenlee told him. "Now what, Leo? She's already found us. Where can we go now?"

"Hey, Chief Hubbard here," they heard Jesse talking into his radio. "I want a squad car parked outside the school looking for any suspicious activity going on. Someone needs to be there to keep on eye on the duPres kids, just in case. Thanks."

David finished letting out his aggression on the tree and came over to Jesse, violently grabbing his shirt with both hands. "Alright, Hubbard. You tell me everything you know about that explosion right now!"

"Get you hands off of me, Hayward! Before I cuff your sorry butt!"

Leo pulled his brother away and stood between the two of them. Jesse brushed down his shirt with his hands once he was freed from David's grip, pressing it down to get the wrinkles out. "That's better."

"I asked you a question, Hubbard!" David repeated from behind Leo. "Tell me everything!"

"Please?" Greenlee repeated the question to Jesse. "Was it really no accident?"

"I admit that we knew it wasn't an accident," Jesse explained. "We ruled it such hoping it would help us find out who did it; maybe to be able to flush them out. But we assumed it was supposed to be a hit on Adam because by an eyewitness account, the explosion happened maybe minutes after he entered the mansion. And that note did say that Chandler got off easy. It must mean Adam. Everyone inside was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Adam Chandler did have a lot of enemies."

"Why would Vanessa want Adam Chandler dead?" Leo looked confused. _That doesn't make any sense._

"And how could she do that to my family?" David added his own question in a much more forceful tone than Leo had used.

"Maybe Adam found out she was alive and threatened to expose her?" Jesse suggested.

Leo shook his head, still trying to connect the dots. "But if he knew she was alive, even Adam Chandler wouldn't be evil enough to keep that to himself, would he?"

"Maybe she did the job for an associate who wanted Adam out of the way," Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm going to start working on this right now." Pine Valley's chief of police put his hand on Greenlee's shoulder before leaving. "We'll keep you and your children safe, Mrs. duPres. You have my word. If Vanessa is really out there, we're going to find her."

Greenlee watched him walk away and give some more orders through his radio. She shook her head and turned to her husband. "I mean this with all the love in the world, Leo; but why won't your mother just die? It's really all I ask. Just once when we think she is dead, can she really be dead?"

Leo took her head in his hands and stared into her eyes until she couldn't help but smile at him. "We're going to get through this just fine. And you heard Jesse – Holly and David are going to be looked out for to make sure they stay safe. We're going to find her, and she won't be a threat to anyone anymore. Not to you; not to our kids."

----------

Holly duPres sat on the stairs to the entrance of the school, chatting with Miranda and a couple boys from her class. It was a warm enough day to hang out outside before school started so she was taking advantage of all the fresh air and sunlight that she could. She never noticed the car parked across the street or the person inside it watching her like a hawk. Her observer smiled inwardly at all the havoc being caused and how much satisfaction was coming from scaring the daylight out of her parents. They were probably still in the cemetery, having a fun time with the note that was left for them. "Your daddy is going to pay, sweet child. He is finally going to pay for what he did to me. He's going to lose everything just like I did."


	18. Distractions

Bianca walked into Kendall's office, completely expecting Kendall to not even realize she was there. Her sister had been acting very predictably lately, shutting herself off and hiding behind her work.

"Eh hem," Bianca cleared her throat to let her sister know she was standing there. Kendall took a quick look up from her desk to see who it was and then immediately buried herself back into her work.

"Kendall, this is the first time you've seen a real human being all day. You could at least say hello."

"Hello, Binks," Kendall muttered as she continued working.

Bianca laughed to herself and sat down in the seat across from Kendall. She sat patiently and stared at her sister, waiting for her to make some kind of motion that didn't involve working. Kendall finally got annoyed by Bianca's presence there: "Don't you have work to do?"

"No. This is that special time of the day that some of us living in the real world like to call a lunch break. Wake up – join us!"

"Can't. Too much to do."

"Or you're just trying really hard to distract yourself from the fact that you kissed Zach."

Kendall looked back up in surprise. "How did you…"

"Forget about how I know – not important. What is important is that you start living your life and stop hiding behind your work."

"That's not what I'm doing," Kendall defensively argued back. "If you have been paying attention, Enchantment is still behind. We have a lot to do around here."

"I told you just the person to talk to if that was really the problem," Bianca smirked. Now she had Kendall stuck between having to talk about Greenlee and having to talk about Zach. It was a win-win for her.

"And I told you that there is no way in hell that Mrs. Green-leaky Diapers is joining this company," Kendall shot back. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Ever since that moment outside the store with Zach, her emotions were so raw that it was hard for her to keep them in check – even right now with Bianca. No matter how much she loved her sister, she couldn't help but feel like she needed to constantly be in attack mode. "She's probably too busy with whoever it is that wants her dead now anyways," Kendall insisted and went back to scribbling down some notes on a loose sheet of paper.

"Even so," Bianca took the paper right out from under Kendall's pen to get her attention back. "I'm putting you on lunch break right now, so whether we talk about what happened with you and Zach or not, I'm not letting you do any work for the next hour, you got it?"

"Hey, you can't do that!" Kendall reached for her paper. "We're equal in this company, Bianca. If I want to work, that's my right."

Bianca held the paper behind her back so Kendall couldn't reach it. "Except I know you don't really want to be working right now. You just want to avoid thinking and talking about Zach."

"That's my right too," Kendall slouched back and crossed her arms, unable to deny her sister's claim.

"Well I want to talk about it," Bianca insisted. "Because I care about you too much to let you do this to yourself."

Simone walked into the office and knocked on the already open door to let her presence be known. "Hey, ladies," she greeted the sisters, but immediately noticed the chilly vibes floating around. "I can wait a minute if you two are busy with something."

"No, of course not," Kendall smiled; happy to have an excuse to change the topic. "What's up, Simone?"

"In case you forgot," Simone began with a smile. "My bridesmaids promised me that they would sacrifice their lunch break by helping me out with the meeting with the caterer today – which of course means a lot of taste testing. We need to finalze everything. Annie is already waiting for us outside."

"You have no idea how happy I am that you reminded me," Kendall beamed at her friend. Bianca looked disappointed that her chance at getting through to her sister was snatched away, but there was nothing she could do about it except try again later.

"In fact," Kendall continued after taking note of Bianca's disappointment. "I'm so happy that even seeing Greenlee can't get me down."

"Oh, Greenlee's not coming," Simone pointed out.

"Even more perfect!" Kendall clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh wait a minute," her expression changed when she realized what that probably meant. She had heard from Jackson what was supposed to be happening in the cemetery that morning, just a number of hours ago. "Does that mean that…"

"Yeah, it's bad," Simone interrupted Kendall before letting her finish the question. "But Greenlee gave me her blessing that she doesn't want her problems to interrupt any happy wedding planning. She gave me orders that there better be a perfect wedding waiting for her so she can have an excuse to look drop dead gorgeous; so let's get on that, shall we?"

"I'm right behind you," Kendall followed Simone out, turning to give Bianca a victorious smile before leaving. Bianca shook her head at her stubborn sister. _You're only hurting yourself, Kendall. I just want you to be happy._

----------

Zach sat in one of the waiting areas of the hospital, unsure of exactly how he got there. He remembered walking around Pine Valley all morning, preoccupied with thoughts of Kendall; and when he finally felt the urge to sit, he had found himself standing in front of this building.

Jake was walking by with a clipboard in hand when he saw Zach sitting there.

"Hey, Zach," he came up next to him. "You waiting for a doctor to see you?"

"Nope, just taking a break."

Jake noticed the distance in Zach's eyes and took a seat next to him. "What's going on, big guy? You're looking a little down. The girls driving you crazy at the office or something?"

Zach simply shook his head slowly from side to side.

"So you're just doing one of your lost in thought things where you close yourself off to everyone; not that you're ever open to anyone… but, what I mean is… um… you look a little down."

Zach picked his head up and gave Jake a serious stare. "You said that already."

"Yeah, I did," Jake uncomfortably scratched his head. He liked Zach, but when the guy was all distant like this it was very intimidating; and trying to talk to him was scary. "Look, I consider you a friend and all, Zach; but that doesn't mean it's easy to break the ice with you."

"What the hell are you rambling about?" Zach looked at him with annoyance in his eyes even as the rest of his facial expressions stayed the same.

"Okay, let's start over. What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk – ended up here. Now I'm thinking I may be in the perfect place."

"Why's that?"

"You guys have doctors who can reprogram me a little, right? I don't mean some idiot shrink trying to psychoanalyze me, just someone who can reach into my gut and change what's there."

"You're not suggesting I find you a hypnotist, are you?" Jake laughed. "Because I know you wouldn't sit through two minutes of that mumbo jumbo."

Zach shrugged at him. If that was the best idea anyone could come up with he was in serious trouble.

"What's eating at you, Slater?" Jake asked him, setting down his clipboard on the floor to be ready for as long a talk as anyone could have with Zach Slater.

"You might not be the person to say this to since you're about to get married," Zach started, scratching the side of his beard to give his hand something to do as he tried to take some of his focus away from the fact that he was about to open up to another person. "Love stinks. How can I get rid of this feeling?"


	19. Playtime's Over

Greenlee, Holly, and David Jr. took their seats at one of the corner tables of the restaurant, ready for a nice little sit-down Sunday dinner. Well, at least for Holly and David it was nice. Greenlee still hated the idea of anything less than five-star dining, but unfortunately her children were used to it; so when Holly and David each had a craving for burgers and fries, she didn't have many other options. It didn't help that she was already feeling a little bit under the weather too; but she wanted to keep things as normal as possible for her kids. They didn't have to know about what was really going on. And at least the restaurant was crowed enough – public places were a good place to be right now.

"Hey Mom," David got her attention after noticing a couple of old arcade games sitting in the opposite corner. "Can I go play while we wait for the food?"

Greenlee looked over to where the games were just to make sure that David would still be in her line of vision. She smiled at him and searched her purse for some change, finding a couple quarters in there to give to him. David took the money and ran off excitedly to his good time.

"Do you understand why he likes those things so much?" she asked Holly.

Holly shrugged back. "Kind of like how you don't understand how I can like reading? I don't know. It's just his thing I guess."

"Guess so."

Greenlee suddenly felt a chill when she heard the chime on the front door go off. She looked up to see who had come in and wasn't sure if she should be thankful that it was just Kendall walking in with her son and not Vanessa coming to kill her. Kendall noticed Greenlee looking in her direction and decided to come over.

"Holly," Greenlee whispered to her daughter as Kendall and Justin walked up to them. "You think you can go keep an eye on David for a couple minutes?"

"Sure, Mommy," Holly answered, noticing how Greenlee's expression changed when she saw Kendall. She knew her mother well and didn't need to be anywhere near a potential fight.

Kendall saw Holly walk off towards the games and pointed out to Justin that David was already there and that he should follow them. She then took a seat across from Greenlee.

"So," Greenlee ran her hand once through her hair. "You and me in the same room and no Simone here to keep us in check. Should I be ready for a catfight?"

"I don't want that," Kendall told her in a very genuine voice. She didn't seem to have the same feisty spirit that Greenlee was used to seeing from her; almost like she looked a little worn out. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you because you might be just the woman I need to talk to right now."

"Is this about Enchantment? Because I thought I was pretty clear with your boss slash crush that I'm not interested."

Kendall didn't let the apparent news that Bianca and Zach had already gone behind her back to Greenlee faze her. She had more important and more energy draining things on her mind. "No, that's not it," Kendall shook her head. "It's just a question that I haven't been able to stop thinking about for a couple days and I think that you're the perfect person to ask it to."

"Okay," Greenlee leaned forward and laid her elbows down on the table; very thankful that Kendall wasn't up for an argument right now because she really wasn't feeling well enough at the moment for a serious sparing match. "I'm all ears."

Kendall paused before asking her question; first making sure in her mind that she was really ready to talk about this. "How do you be happy?"

Greenlee could tell that Kendall was back on her Zach problem again. The softness in her voice and in her eyes could only be about one issue: love.

"Why do you think I'm the one to talk to, Kendall? Isn't Simone perfectly qualified as a go-to girlfriend for these kinds of things?"

"Not about this," Kendall answered with a sigh. "Your life experience is what I need right now. You see, Simone and Jake were real good friends that just fell in love. It was seamless: no games, no minefields at every turn, no serious hurt to work past. Not like what you went through. I mean, you and Leo may have broken up and gotten back together more times than my mother has been married; and yet here you are – together, happy, and still in love. And I don't understand how you did it? How did you know that you could get past all the hurt that you two did to each other and really be happy?"

Greenlee smiled as she thought back on her relationship with Leo. It was definitely a whirlwind that ran the gamut of emotions – but every minute was worth it. "It's a deep question, Kendall. You sure you trust me talking about this stuff?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. That's how desperate I am, Greenlee. I'll even come to you for advice."

"Okay," Greenlee grinned proudly; loving the idea of Kendall almost admitting to needing her for something. Her face turned serious though as she began to answer:

"It's that feeling that when things are right – they are _really_ right. When you can look deep down into your soul and say with total certainty that this is the person that just can't be duplicated for you – that makes everything you've ever known in the past or could ever hope to know in the future pale in comparison to the right now. But until you can let go of everything: all the games, the worries about always needing to win and get your way, and just accept to yourself that you can't live without this person – all the love in the world won't be enough. I finally did that when Leo and I first got engaged, but I got burned when I found out the real reason that he came to Pine Valley. I tried so hard to move on, but I never could. Because I had my ultimate. As long as he was still around, it was a reminder of what I was missing but couldn't have. So as much as I tried to find love again, I just couldn't – couldn't even fake it – because the real thing was still standing in front of me. And it took until the last time we got engaged for both of us to finally get back there with each other. That's when we were able to look into each other's eyes and say that this time it was forever and nothing was going to weigh us down anymore. You need to be able to let go of all the extra weight, Kendall. Just be yourself and let yourself live. That's how you can be happy."

Kendall thought for a second and let Greenlee's words sink in. She couldn't argue the fact that her old rival had made a lot of sense. "Is that why you're not running scared from whoever is messing with you? It sounds like someone wants you and Leo apart pretty bad."

"Pretty much," Greenlee confirmed with a slow nod of the head. "Because if I ran from Leo I would be just as miserable as you are." Greenlee put her hand on top of Kendall's and looked straight into her eyes, even surprising herself at how much she seemed to be rooting for her. "If you have something real, Kendall, you need to go for it, because that's what life is all about."

Kendall chuckled; realizing that she was starting to feel a little bit connected to this woman. It was almost like they understood each other a little bit better now. "I never knew you could sound so wise about this stuff?"

"That's what true love can do," Greenlee blushed.

David, Holly, and Justin suddenly returned to the table. "You have any more quarters, Mom?" David asked.

"Sorry, all out," she shook her head. "But it looks like our food is here anyway," she told him as she noticed the waiter carrying a couple plates of food towards them.

"Thanks for the talk, Greenlee," Kendall stood up from her seat. She looked around to find that the restaurant had gotten more crowed since she had come in. "Do you guys mind if Justin and I sit with you?" she asked. "This place looks a little packed."

Greenlee instinctively thought to turn her down, but for some reason, after their talk she was feeling in a friendly kind of mood. "We'd be happy to have you," she smiled. Holly looked over proudly at her mother. She had seen her get into too many arguments to count in her time, but never had she seen Greenlee go so quickly from looking like she disliked a person to acting friendly towards them. Greenlee was never one to fake being nice. _Wait till I tell Daddy about this. He's going to taunt her like crazy._

"A double burger with everything for the boy," Greenlee heard the waiter as he put David's plate in front of him. She heard him saying some other things too but she wasn't really listening anymore. The sight of David's burger suddenly made her feel very nauseous. She threw her hand up over her mouth because of what she knew was coming. "Excuse me," she quickly got out the words and ran for the bathroom.

----------

Leo and David stood outside of what used to be the Chandler mansion. This was the first time Leo was seeing the ruins for himself and the first time David had seen it since he found out that he was right all along – that the explosion was no accident. The thought made David clench his fists in anger as his mind's eye attached a picture of Vanessa to the destruction in front of him. But he was going to do things Leo's way. The police weren't willing to rummage through this place again, but Leo was hoping that maybe there would be some clue there that they could use to help them.

Leo noticed the anger that David was trying desperately to hold in and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. "I'm still your brother, David. You can tell me anything."

David looked Leo straight in the eyes and read the sympathy and understanding coming from his brother. It was true that Leo hadn't had his family permanently taken away from him like David had, but that wasn't from any lack of Vanessa trying.

"I was on my way home from the hospital when it happened," David started. "I remember seeing a couple ambulances in a rush to go somewhere but I didn't think anything of it. People call 911 all the time – nothing that the doctors on duty at the hospital couldn't handle. I don't really know why I did it, maybe just a bad feeling – but when I got home I turned on the radio. If those ambulances were onto something big, I figured it would be a news story and I'd find out what it was all about. They were saying how there was an explosion in the mansion and that workers were searching through the rubble. They also said that the preliminary theory was that an electrical fire caused a burner to flameout and it detonated the vapors inside the boiler. Can you believe that? Stupid police spin. That was the theory they stuck with, even though they knew all along." That final thought made David lose any of the calm feelings that being able to talk about it now gave him and he clenched up his fists in anger once again.

"Alright," Leo rubbed his hand over David's back. "So we know that Vanessa wanted someone in that house out of the way: probably Adam. If we can just find out why, we're one step closer."

"So let's start looking. What are we waiting for?"

Leo looked behind David and saw a car pull up. "That," he pointed towards the car. "The police will do their thing and we'll do ours."

Tad and Aidan exited the car and came up to the two brothers.

"Thanks for coming," Leo greeted each with a handshake. David wasn't as receptive to seeing the two new faces, but he kept his mouth shut. This was important enough to him that he was willing to put up with anyone.

Aidan handed Leo and David sets of gloves to help them go through the mess that used to be a luxurious mansion. "First of all: to not leave your prints on anything," Aidan explained. "And second of all: to keep your hands clean. This place gives messy a good name."

Leo and David put on their gloves and began walking through the rubble. "Spread out and look for anything out of the ordinary," Tad ordered. "If someone is getting off on giving you the merry chase, I'd bet they've probably left something for you to find somewhere, and the note in the cemetery links us here. One clue after another."

They all searched in silence for a couple minutes until Leo thought he spotted something. "Out of the ordinary mean something like this?" he asked rhetorically, pointing to a pink paper that was narrowly sticking out from between a couple pieces of debris.

"Looks out of place to me," Aidan agreed.

"Pink and murderer aren't really synonymous," Tad quipped; always one to maintain a lighthearted mood.

"The rainbow in the corner doesn't scream out 'evil' either," Leo added.

David finally reached the rest of them and looked on eagerly. He wasn't here to crack jokes – he just wanted to find out the truth. "You going to unfold that thing or what?" he insisted impatiently.

Leo took a deep breath and took a look at the message inside:

"_If your wife won't scare off, Leo, there are other ways I can make you pay."_

"It looks like playtime is over," Tad observed. "Someone wants to get serious."

"So Greenlee was right," Leo spoke aloud, ignoring Tad's comment as he realized the truth about what was going on.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"Even before we found out about Vanessa, Greenlee thought that whoever was stalking her was trying to break up our marriage. She thought that whoever it was wanted to scare her off so she would leave me. Except it wasn't really her that Vanessa was after. She doesn't want revenge on Greenlee. She wants revenge on me."


	20. Off to School and Planning the Day

Greenlee uncomfortably watched the rest of her family from the couch, wearing one of Leo's tee shirts and some loose fitting sweatpants – still feeling under the weather, yet trying her hardest to hold her forced smile as Leo walked Holly and David to the elevator. But the second that the kids were out of her vision and on their way to school, the worry she was feeling inside made its way back onto her face. After what Leo found last night at what used to be the Chandler mansion, she knew that anything was possible now; and the thought that her children could became involved next had her scared straight.

Leo walked back through the hallway and into the penthouse, closing the door behind him. He sat next to Greenlee on the couch and felt her forehead with his hand, finding it to be a little cooler than it was last night – a good sign. Greenlee looked like she was feeling a little bit better too, besides for the exhaustion still in her eyes after what was a very rough night. Leo extended his arm out, inviting her to rest under it.

"You sure you're feeling better, Greens?" he asked her tenderly, wanting nothing more at that moment than to take care of her. She nodded and eased herself under her husband's arm, finding solace from the feel of his finger running up and down her arm. His touch helped her get past the worry of the rest of her troubles and find her comfort zone again.

"But you still look pretty tired. Can I at least get you back to bed? Now that you're looking better, maybe you can get some sleep."

"You know you didn't have to stay up half the night with me," she pointed out, noticing that Leo looked a little tired himself.

"It's all part of the 'I love you' deal," Leo smiled at her. "And I can't think of a better way to spend my night than to hold your head for you as you puke your brains out."

Greenlee couldn't help but chuckle at him. Leo just had this natural knack for getting through to her. No matter what she was feeling, Leo could always bring her back to the calming sense that everything was okay. "Could you make me sound a little more attractive, please?" she joked back in her characteristic style now that she was feeling balanced again.

"Oh come on," Leo laughed and kissed the top of her head. "You could be sick as a dog, wearing a bag, and covering this entire floor with a mess of your own insides, and I'd still think you were the most beautiful woman in the world."

Greenlee reached her hand up to Leo's cheek and smiled at him as she bit down on her lower lip. "Likewise," she told him lovingly. The best part was that she knew he really meant it.

"So the way I see it, I can get you back to bed right now or you can fall asleep right here in my arms. But what's important right now is that you get completely over this bug."

Greenlee sighed as she played with his fingers. Any smart woman would know that a nap was the perfect thing to do right now, but Greenlee couldn't stand to be unproductive at a time like this. "I still think I should have driven Holly and David to school myself."

"I know you want to be the overprotective super-mom right now," Leo told her as brushed his free hand through her hair. "But we talked about this. Things need to stay as normal as possible for them so they don't realize anything is wrong. They like walking to school, so that's their right and that's how it's going to stay. You have nothing to worry about with them. Jesse has a guy following them to school right now to make sure they get there okay, and a squad car is supposed to be circling the school during the day to make sure nothing happens to them. They are going to stay safe, and when this whole thing is over they will never even have known that there was ever any reason to be afraid."

"Leo, I know you're right. But I'm a mother; it's my job to worry."

She turned her body over so she could see the calming look that she knew would be in his eyes. He kissed her forehead and held her head still in both of his hands. "Yes, that is your job as a mother; but as your husband it's my job to protect you. I might have failed last time but…"

"No you didn't," she interrupted him. "The fact that I'm sitting here in your arms right now is proof of that."

"Maybe, but Vanessa never should have gotten that close. So while the Pine Valley police department is making sure that Holly and David are safe and sound, I'm going to do the same for you. No one is going to get close to you this time." Leo moved his arms around her back and held her tightly to prove his point. She smiled and put her arms around his waist; spending a couple moments with her head using his chest as a wonderful pillow.

"You believe in me, Greens?"

Greenlee picked her head back up in front of his, smiling at him out of the pure ridiculousness of the question. "With my life," she answered.

She settled back to her previous position with her back against his chest and her head against his extended arm. "I was supposed to meet with Zach Slater later," Leo informed her. "A guy like that – with that kind of money and connections – I'm hoping he can help us end this mess. But I don't want to let you out of my sight this time; so if you aren't feeling well enough to come with me, I'll do it another day so I can stay here with you."

"No way," Greenlee insisted. "You need to keep that meeting and I'm not going with you."

"But that's how Vanessa got us last time," Leo pointed out. "She got me out of the loft and came here, remember? I'm not letting that happen again."

"I didn't say I was staying here. Yeah, maybe I'm still a bit woozy, but you're not the only one that can do something productive for our family."

"Explain?" Leo asked her nervously.

"I'm going to see David, as soon as possible."

Leo cringed at her suggestion. She sounded dead set on it too, so arguing with her probably wouldn't get him anywhere.

"It's great that he's helping with this," Greenlee explained. "But we need his niece and nephew ban to end, and I really think I can get through to him. Besides, there are worse places for a sick person to be than with David Hayward. I'll be perfectly safe."

Leo let out a worried sigh, feeling very unsure if them separating was a good idea right now.

"So it's settled," Greenlee picked herself up off the couch before Leo could start arguing with her. "I'm going to… whoa," she almost fainted as she started walking; catching herself by reaching out for Leo. Leo stood up with her and held onto her worriedly. "You okay, Greens?"

"Yeah sure," she shut her eyes and waited for her dizzy spell to pass.

"And you still expect me to let you leave this house?"

"Uh huh," Greenlee nodded. "It's important. And you should go to your meeting with Zach. If I get back before you leave, then I'll come with you. Deal?"

Leo put his hand over his eyes and sighed in defeat. He gave his determined wife a long stare before answering. "Alright, but I'm going to follow you to David's to make sure you get there okay."

Greenlee smiled in victory. "Good. Just give me some time to look presentable to the outside world and then we'll go." She put her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look into her eyes when she noticed that his worried expression wasn't going away. "Don't worry about me, Leo. I'll be safe with David."

----------

Jake and Simone watched as Dylan left the house for school. Jake slid up behind his fiancée, brushing his cheek against hers and putting his arms around her waist. "Only six more days," Jake happily reminded her. "Six more days until I can call you my wife."

Simone put her hands over his as they rested around her and began to sway back and forth with him. "You sure you have to work today, Jake? Can't we stay here and dance together till the wedding?"

He kissed her neck and put his chin back on her shoulder. "I would love to, but we'll have plenty of time for that after the wedding. Just you, me, and a full week all to ourselves." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading to the door himself. "I'll call you during my lunch break."

"Hey," she stopped him as he opened the door. "Six more days," she glowed in her excitement. "I can't wait."

Jake smiled at her and came back to her for a proper goodbye kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

----------

Kendall watched Justin walk away from the car after she dropped him off at the school. Her next stop was Enchantment – and maybe Zach Slater. She knew there was a decent chance that he would show up at the office at some point during the day, and she had no idea what she was going to tell him when she saw him. Before her talk with Greenlee, all of her thoughts and feelings about Zach had been tainted with worry and fear; but now the idea of talking to him was different. It was a possibility that somehow seemed almost… exciting. Maybe it could help her really see if Zach could be for her what Leo was to Greenlee.

She took a deep breath and put her foot back on the gas, hoping that whenever she would see him she would figure out whatever it was that she really felt and wanted to say. _Here we go_.

----------

As Annie watched Emma get out the front door, her usual smile grew larger. She had important things to do today, things that had been on her mind for a long time. Now that her daughter was out of the house, she just needed to make sure that Aidan wasn't going to give her any trouble.

"Honey," she heard his voice from behind her. He was coming down the stairs with a notebook in his hand; his face looking a little sweaty. "Something has been bothering me ever since last night, and I was hoping for your help."

Annie held her wide smile and eagerly came up to him, taking hold of his free arm. "Yes, sweetheart," she leaned against him. "What can I help you with?" By the look on his face, she knew it wouldn't be much longer now.

"You know I love you completely," he told her uneasily. "But I can't help but wonder about this." He opened up the notebook and flipped through some blank pages – pink pages each with a little rainbow on the top corner. "Why was there a note left at the Chandler mansion that looks exactly like the paper in this notebook?"

Annie pouted her lips and gave her husband the impression that she was thinking about what he had just asked her.

"Actually, I have a better question," she told him as her wide smile began to slowly shift into an evil grin. It was about time she could stop pretending to be little Miss Perfect. "How are you still on your feet after taking that mickey I slipped you at breakfast?"

She enjoyed watching him squirm as the alarm grew on his sweaty face. "Come to think of it, _sweetheart_," she chuckled, rolling her eyes as she called him sweetheart for the last time – a term she had become all too disgusted with. "You do look a little pale," she pointed out in mock worry. "Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Aidan felt himself growing too weak to stand and collapsed onto the floor, lying motionless with his arms extended out.

Annie leaned over to make sure he was really out cold. "Perfect timing," she muttered with an evil scowl. "Listen, Aidan," she addressed his unconscious body. "No hard feelings, you were a nice cover and all, but you just have no purpose to me anymore." She took hold of his arms and dragged him over to her personal spare closet by the stairs, unlocking it and laying his body right next to the corpse of Vanessa Bennett. Annie slammed the door shut to keep the smell of the long dead body contained with all the air fresheners and good smells that she had been keeping in there with it. Annie knew that if Greenlee wasn't going to run, she would be expecting it to be Vanessa that wanted her gone – a great way to play with her head. But she still wasn't running; so it was time for the hands-on approach to the revenge that she had waiting so long for. Annie grabbed her keys off of the stand by the door and threw them up to herself in satisfaction with a job well done. _Time to go find Leo's little wife. And then rip his heart to shreds just like he did to me._


	21. David and Greenlee's Morning

Greenlee didn't have to wait very long after knocking on the cabin door for David to answer. She took a quick peek at Leo backing his car out to leave and then walked right past David into his cabin, doing her best to not show any signs of still feeling a little bit under the weather.

"So you answer the door now," Greenlee turned back to her brother-in-law and smiled. "That's an improvement."

On some level David felt happy to see her, but he wasn't in the mood for her jokes right now. "What are you doing here, Greenlee?"

"I'm just here to hang out with my favorite brother-in-law," she answered with a playful smile, already feeling right at home. "We don't see each other enough anymore, you know?"

"I've already made it clear to you why," he walked around her and sat down in a chair by his table. "I told you it would be better if I stayed away."

"You were there with us at the cemetery," she pointed out. "You were with Leo last night when he found that note."

"Because my crazy mother is still out there. Once we deal with her, you won't hear from me ever again."

"What do you mean?" Greenlee sat down opposite David and followed his eyes to a spot in the corner. A suitcase sat there, looking like it was already packed and ready to go. "No, David," she pleaded with him gently, putting her hand on top of his. "Please don't do this?"

"It's best for everyone," he shrugged.

"Like hell it is," Greenlee shot back. "I don't get it, David, I really don't. I understand that you blame yourself for always losing your family; but now you know for sure that it wasn't because of you. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time – nothing more. Vanessa wanted Adam. It had nothing to do with you."

David shook his head. He was in a better place now after spending some time helping out with Leo – it felt good to feel part of something again – but he still didn't trust himself to be good for anyone. "But that's exactly it, Greenlee. They are still gone, and now you and Leo come back and get thrown right back into the fire. Guess who is a common denominator here?"

"Vanessa," Greenlee quickly answered. "Listen to me," she told him softly. "Leo and I aren't the only ones that can use your help. We're trying to keep Holly and David out of this, but we could use an uncle around to keep an eye on them and protect them." She noticed him sigh at the mention of her children. It was obvious that he cared, but was too afraid of himself to get in too deep. "You might not trust yourself to be someone good to those kids anymore, but I still see in you the man that saved my life. And I know you know that person is still inside you too, just begging to come out."

David looked into her sincere eyes and finally let something close to a smile show on his face. "You seem to believe in me a lot, don't you?"

She smiled back at him, happy to be getting through. "Of course I do, David; because if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be sitting here right now. I care about you so much and it kills me to watch you drown like this and hide yourself off from the people who love you."

"You won't have to watch it for much longer," David sighed, reverting to his more distant personality.

Greenlee nevertheless held her smile. "Do you remember that day at the falls, David? The day you found me there ready to jump?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember what gave me the strength to go on a little longer? To be able to live that extra time in all that pain until I found out that Leo was really still alive?"

"No."

Greenlee beamed at him and reached her hand over to his cheek, letting it rest over his scruffy beard. "You did, David. You did."

David let her keep her hand on his face and looked at his sister-in-law with a certain tenderness in his eyes; finding it hard to believe that he really did that much to help her. "How did I do that?"

"Simple," Greenlee took back her hand and stared into his eyes. "When you found me and talked me off that ledge, you gave me the one thing that I needed the most: you showed me that I wasn't alone. I thought there was no way I could go on, not just because of losing Leo but because without him I had no one else in the world that could ever relate to what I was feeling. The world just seemed like such a lonely place. And then you found me and showed me that it wasn't true. I still remember when you called me 'sis' – you really showed me that you cared about me; and it made me feel like I still had a place in someone's heart, you know? So here I am, trying to give to you what you gave to me. I'm telling you right now in every way that I know how: I love you and I want what's best for you."

"I know you do," David nodded his head. "But I…"

He stopped speaking when he saw her stumble in her seat and grab onto the table to keep herself from falling. "Greenlee?" He came around the table to her and held her upright, finally noticing the weakness in her face now that he was taking a good look at her. She had her eyes closed, clearly experiencing a dizzy spell. He held onto her as she waited it out, making sure that she wouldn't fall off her chair. After a few more seconds, she opened her eyes back up and took a deep breath.

"I'm alright," she told him. "Just another head rush."

"_Another_?" he questioned her; the inner doctor in him coming to the surface. "Do I even have to tell you that you're looking a little pale right now? How long have you been having dizzy spells?"

"It's no big deal," she tried to argue. "I've just been a little out of it since yesterday."

"Do you want to lie down?" he asked worriedly. "Or I can drive you back home if you want."

"No, don't do that. I don't want Leo to worry, and if you take me home because of this that's all he's going to do. He has important things to do today, and I'm not going to give him any reason to cancel them."

David was about to continue to argue with her, but her cell phone rang before he could start.

"Hello… Yes, this is Mrs. duPres…" Greenlee put her hand on her head in disappointment at hearing what the caller had to tell her. _Oh no. Not today of all days_. "Okay, I'll be right there." She put away her phone and began to head for the door after giving David a quick wave goodbye.

"Hold it!" he stopped her, sounding very concerned. "Where the hell do you think you're going, Greenlee?"

"Out. I need to get somewhere."

"Greenlee, you just almost fainted. You're clearly sick. I'm not letting you out of my sight, especially to go driving somewhere!"

Greenlee shrugged; hiding the smile that wanted to come out by David insisting on coming with her. _This would be brilliant if it was intentional_. "Fine, let's go." She walked out of the cabin as he followed.

"Where are we going?" he asked her after he shut the front door behind them.

"Where going back to school," Greenlee finally let the smile out. "It's time for you to meet your nephew."

David's expression grew alarmed by the thought. "Wh… why are we doing that?" he stuttered nervously.

"Something about a prank with some well-placed water balloons," Greenlee answered. "They're sending him home for the day." She noticed how tense David looked; he desperately wanted out of this situation. "Or you can stay here," Greenlee smiled, knowing he was stuck. "But if Vanessa finds me on the way, or if I have another dizzy spell while I'm behind the wheel…"

"No, I'm coming," David regretfully told her. He had to take a deep breath to prepare himself for a moment that he never wanted to happen; but while he didn't trust himself near those kids, he couldn't let Greenlee go alone in her condition. "Your safety comes first."

"Thanks," Greenlee smiled and giddily walked towards his car. David stood in front of the cabin door for a couple moments and stared down at his car keys. _Here goes_. He followed his sister-in-law to the car, opening it up for her and then driving her towards the school. He was so preoccupied with his own worries that he never saw the car that pulled out from behind the cabin after he started driving. Annie sat behind the wheel; disappointed that Greenlee wasn't alone, but ready to follow her until the perfect situation arose.

----------

David took a spot in the lot across the street from the school and turned off the car. He looked over at Greenlee who was starting to show more visible signs of being sick. Her face had grown more pale and her eyes were being held about three quarters of the way open, masking part of her big brown eyes. She opened the car door and walked outside; David was worried about her and did the same.

"You coming in with me?" she asked him.

David thought about it as he looked at her. He was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was no way he could abandon Greenlee in her condition; and now that she had left her car at his cabin, he was her only mode of transportation. But he was seconds away from possibly meeting his nephew – the child who was named after him – and it scared him to death to let a new person close; he couldn't forget the history of those that he did. "I'll wait out here," he decided in a desperate stall for time. She started walking towards the school until David grabbed her arm from behind. "Promise me that you'll get some water while you're in there, Greenlee. You look like you can use it."

"I'll be fine. Just take all of us back to your cabin after I go pick up your nephew, and I promise I'll drink any filtered water you have. Then while I rest you can get to know David Jr."

Greenlee turned from him pleased with herself at this turn of events. She really didn't want to take David Jr. home in case Leo was still there. He would notice how much worse she looked and insist on staying with her to take care of her. No, staying with a trained doctor was the perfect solution. And this was providing a great excuse to bring the two Davids together.

As David watched her entering the school, he heard footsteps moving closer to him from behind. He turned to see a familiar looking woman with her light hair tied back in a non-threatening ponytail.

"You're David Hayward, right?" Annie told him in the sweetest voice she could muster. "I didn't realize you were free again."

David hid the disgusted look that wanted to come out. He vaguely remembered his path crossing with hers a couple times in the past, and one second of seeing her again reminded him why he never liked her. _Are real people that sickeningly sweet?_ "And you're Annie Devane. I remember you."

"So what are you doing here with Greenlee?"

"I brought her here so she can pick up her son," David answered, looking ahead at the school building and praying that Greenlee would be back soon. Suddenly, meeting David Jr. didn't seem so bad when a conversation with Annie was the alternative.

"Why does she need to get David?" Annie asked; sounding very interested even as she tried to hold to her sweet persona. "Is the little guy sick or something?"

"That's not my place to tell you," he stated quickly, hoping that would end the conversation and that she would leave to go wherever it was she was going.

Annie realized that David was done talking and went back to her car. When she opened it, she saw Greenlee and her son exiting the school and grabbed a book out of the front seat. She walked back towards David as Greenlee and David Jr. were coming. "I almost forgot why I came," she told him. "My daughter forgot this book that she needs for her English class so I'm here to get it to her." _Not a bad excuse to be here_.

"That's nice," David gave her a short and sweet reply.

Greenlee saw Annie standing there and her face sunk – Annie was definitely not someone she wanted to deal with while sick. But even Annie wasn't going to ruin this opportunity for her. She wiped away the sweat gathering on her forehead and continued to ignore her weakened body as she brought David Jr. in front of his uncle.

"David," she told her son with the biggest smile she could. "I want you to meet someone very special. This is your father's brother: your uncle David."

David Jr. smiled in his excitement when he heard the name. All the worry about how badly his mom might punish him for his prank was erased in that moment of pure joy. "Really? Wow, this is so cool!" His uncle looked into his deep brown eyes and shyly smiled back. David could see the resemblance that his nephew inherited from both his parents, and it made him both happy and nervous at the same time. He tried to think of something to say to him, but had too many different emotions going on in his head to think straight. "Hi," he finally said simply.

David Jr. was too excited to notice how uncomfortable his uncle was feeling. "I have so many things I wanted to ask you!" he eagerly went on. "Like about you and my dad; and about being a doctor; and why my mom and dad think you're so great."

Greenlee looked on proudly at her son. She couldn't remember the last time he looked this excited. But her elation faded as she could feel her vision starting to blur. Slowly, everything began to go dark.

"David," the former doctor heard Annie get his attention and saw her pointing at Greenlee. He saw his sister-in-law begin to fall and reached over to catch her before she hit the pavement.

"Mom?" David Jr. asked worriedly as his uncle held his mother in his arms. She wasn't moving. "Is she okay, Uncle David?"

David patted her cheek repeatedly to try and bring her back but it was no use: she was out cold. He made sure that she was still breathing and then checked her pulse, finding it to be a little weak.

"How's Mom? Is she okay?" David Jr. repeated in alarm.

"She just fainted," David told him in a calm tone, trying to ease his fears.

"I can take her to the hospital," Annie eagerly volunteered. She hid her excited smile at the events going on in front of her. This couldn't have been planned much better than the way things were looking right now with an already unconscious Greenlee duPres just waiting to be handed over to her.

David looked at her and then at David Jr. His vision got stuck in the boy's worried eyes for an extra second. Greenlee needed to get to the hospital, but what about David Jr.?

"David," Annie insisted again. "She needs to get to a hospital, let me take her and you can bring David Jr. home."

David looked at his nephew once again. "I… I…" He wanted to say it was a good idea, but many years worth of fears came to the surface in that moment. _I can't. I can't be responsible for him. _He picked Greenlee up and held her legs in one hand and supported her head with the other. "Annie," he ordered her through quick breaths. "Take David for me and call Leo. I'm taking Greenlee to the hospital." He saw her give him a smile and nod to let him know that she would do it and rushed Greenlee back into his car, speeding away as soon as he had her in a steady position in the backseat.

Annie stood in the parking lot all alone with David Jr. and bent down to be face to face with the worried boy. "Don't you worry, David," she told him sweetly. "Your mom is going to be just fine and I'm going to get you to your dad, okay? We just have to make one quick stop so I can pick something up first."

David nodded at her, feeling comfortable enough with this woman to trust her – it wasn't like she was a total stranger. And it wasn't like he really had much of a choice.

Annie led him into her car. "Make sure you buckle up," she told him sweetly before closing the backdoor. Once he couldn't see her anymore, an evil grin returned to her face. _Little innocent David Jr. sitting alone in my car. Oh Leo, this is turning out to be way too perfect._

----------

"And here's where I work," Annie told David Jr. when they reached her desk at Enchantment. She only had to keep up the sweet little lady act for a little bit longer – just to make sure she could get in and out of Enchantment with David without anyone getting suspicious. She could have left him in the car, but he was too important to her right now to let him out of her sight. Someone might pass by and recognize him, or wonder what a ten year old boy is doing outside a cosmetics company, and he would be out of her grasp.

David looked on, feeling very uncomfortable in this strange building. All he knew was that his mom was in the hospital, he had no idea where his dad was, and this seemingly nice lady whom all he knew about was that he had met her once and that her daughter was always nice to Holly was now watching him. Right about now, all he wanted was to get to his dad and find out if his mom was okay.

"Let's see," Annie turned a key into a drawer in her desk to gain access. She took a quick glance at David to make sure he wasn't looking and discreetly slipped a gun out from her desk and into her purse. "Okay little buddy," she turned to David. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Annie!"

Annie looked up to see Kendall standing in front of her looking none too happy. _Crap!_

"Where the hell have you been, Annie!" Kendall yelled at her. "Do you realize what time it is? What are you thinking showing up so late!" She paused her tirade when she noticed a scared looking David Jr. standing in the corner. "And what are you doing with Greenlee's kid?"

David ran over to Kendall, much to Annie chagrin. "My mom is sick," the worried boy told Kendall. "And I want to find out if she's okay."

Kendall bent down to him. "Yeah, I remember she was sick yesterday," she told him softly to try and keep him calm.

"She collapsed earlier today," Annie spoke up. "I'm about to take David home and then I'll come right back here, I promise."

Kendall looked into David's scared eyes. "Did they take your mom to the hospital?"

David nodded back at her.

"Okay, then your dad must be with her, right?" She looked up at Annie as she realized the hole in the woman's plan. Annie kept a straight face; trying to hold in her frustration at her plans stalling right before her eyes. "Right, Annie?"

"Actually, he doesn't know yet. It's my job to bring David over to him and tell him so if you'll just let us be on our way…"

"No, that won't be necessary," Kendall stopped her. "Listen, David," she addressed the young boy that she was still face to face with. "Why don't you come with me to my office and I'll call your dad? If I know him, he'll move heaven and earth to make sure your mom is okay. And you can hang with me for the day." She then looked up at Annie. "This way he can avoid Leo having to take him to the hospital," she explained to her employee.

Kendall put her hand on David's back and began to lead him to her office.

Annie watched for a second; irritated at watching her plan spoiled. "Wait!" she called for them to stop. There was no way she was going to let this golden opportunity slip through her fingers; and with Aidan already onto her and disposed of at the moment, there was no turning back now. If she was going to take her revenge and be able to get Emma out of town with her safely, it had to be done now. This was her one shot.

Annie reached her hand back into her purse as Kendall turned around to face her, bringing it out to show the handle of the gun to the slender woman before quickly hiding it back into her purse – never removing her hand off of the handle. Kendall grew wide eyed in a panic at seeing the weapon, instinctively shielding David's face with her hand to make sure he didn't see it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that David never noticed the firearm; only holding the same worried expression that he had since she first saw him there.

"Keep your mouth shut," Annie warned Kendall with a fierce scowl. "Here's how it's going to be: we are all going to walk out of here right now very nicely and quietly. And I better not hear a peep out of either one of you before we get out of this building, understand? Good. Lead the way, Kendall. We're all going for a drive."


	22. déjà vu

Annie leaned over the rail to see the drop for herself. It was far down, all right; but somehow Leo and Vanessa had survived it. She didn't know if this was the exact spot they fell from – probably wasn't – but the location was fitting nonetheless.

She twirled around with her arms extended, still holding the gun in her right hand. Something about breathing in the damp air of Millar's Falls made her feel so alive. It was the place and the moment that she had waited so long for.

"Ah, what a perfect spot this is," she spoke aloud to no one in particular; even though Kendall sat with David Jr. not far from where she was standing.

"Spoken like a true Pine Valley psycho," Kendall muttered under her breath.

Annie sharply turned her head at her, knowing Kendall said something but not hearing exactly what. Kendall made sure to shut up while the gun tooting maniac was looking. She was doing her best to keep her composure for David, making the occasional sarcastic remark to herself to keep herself sane; but on the inside, she was just as terrified as the young boy was.

David was holding tightly onto Kendall arm as they sat on the rocky ground. The fear was so clear in his eyes; it made it even harder for Kendall to stay strong herself. _Don't let him know you're scared. Protect him just like if he were Justin._

David started crying by her side once again. The ten year old could only be so brave, having spent too much time lately with a gun pointed at his head. "I want my mom," he cried quietly, letting his head drop onto Kendall's side.

Kendall put her hand on the top of his head to try and give him some measure of comfort. "I know you do. But I'm going to protect you, I promise."

Annie watched their close little moment and snickered at them. "You know, Kendall; this spot was all over the news. All it took was a sadistic drug lord holding her daughter-in-law hostage here and then skipping the country while everyone was looking for her – and poof: international news. That's how I found out where he was. So I think this is the perfect spot for poetic justice, don't you?"

"I don't get it," Kendall unnervingly answered her, still holding onto David Jr. "What's your problem with Leo? And David – he's just a kid. Please leave him out of this?"

Annie inched her way up to Kendall, still keeping enough distance to make sure she was out of Kendall's reach. Her eyes showed a certain coldness – one that Kendall never remembered seeing out of her. "It's real simple, Kendall. He never cared about me and what's mine; I'm only responding in kind." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "And now I think it's about time he realized it."

----------

Leo took out his phone when he felt it vibrate in his pocket. He took a quick glance at the screen before putting his phone down flat on the table.

"No one important?" Zach asked him.

"Just making sure it isn't Greenlee," Leo explained. He was still a little on edge while she was off with his brother. So many things had the potential to go wrong, especially with her being sick, and he hadn't stopped worrying about her since. "She's been feeling a little bit off lately and I'm just worried about her. Having her life in danger again doesn't help either. But it wasn't her – I didn't recognize the number. I'm sure it can wait."

"Fine, so back to business," Zach leaned forward with his hands on the table. "So you want my help keeping your family safe, I can respect that. But what I don't understand is…" He stopped talking when Leo's phone began to vibrate again. "Just find out what it is," Zach began to get a little frustrated.

Leo picked up his phone and saw that this time it was a text message:

"_If you ever want to see your son again, then pick up the damn phone!"_

Leo looked down at his phone partly with confusion and party with worry. _What the hell? _A couple seconds later a call came from the same unfamiliar number. "One second, Zach." He answered his phone in trepidation; hoping beyond hope that the text was just some stupid prank. "Hello."

"Leo, good move picking up your phone," Annie told him from the other end. "And you'll be glad you did so you can now come and save your son." Annie kept her eyes on Kendall and David as she talked, making sure they heard every word she was saying. "So here's what you're going to do for me, Leo. You're going to get in your car, and you're going to drive to Millar's Falls. No police of course. If I see a cop, I start shooting. It's about time I cause you all the pain you caused me."

Leo tried to recognize the voice on the other end but couldn't. "This isn't Vanessa," was all his startled voice could come up with.

"No, Leo, I'm not your mother – her very much dead body is under lock and key. I'm someone else from your rotten past. But all you really need to know right now is that your son is in danger. It's déjà vu for you, just fast-forward fifteen years and substitute your wife for your son." Annie took the phone and put in front of David. "Say hello to Daddy," she mockingly ordered him.

"Daddy," the sound of David's terrified voice through the other end. Panic engulfed Leo's face as he heard his son's voice. Zach was taking notice now too. This was clearly no prank call. "David," Leo trembled in his seat. "David, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Help me, Daddy," he heard his son's scared voice again.

Annie took the phone away from David's mouth to talk to Leo again. "Me again," she told him.

"I swear to you, if you touch a single hair on his head I will track you down and make you wish you never knew me."

"Nothing you haven't done already," Annie snarled back in a quick fit of anger. She regained her composure before she began speaking again. "Your son isn't the only one I'm stuck babysitting either." She put the phone in front of Kendall's face. "Say hello, Kendall."

Kendall sat definitely, turning her head away from the phone.

_Crack!_

She grabbed the reddening spot on her face where Annie slapped her.

"Now talk," Annie ordered again.

"Leo."

"Kendall?" Leo's voice continued to be filled with alarm as his mind created a mental image of what could be going on at the falls. "Kendall, is David okay?" Now Zach looked up at Leo in alarm as well. _Some maniac has Kendall?_

Kendall couldn't answer him before Annie took the phone back. "Now, Leo. Like I said: if you want to see your son again, I'll be seeing you at Millar's Falls shortly."

Leo felt sick to his stomach. How could he be going through this again? Now his son was in the hands of some crazy lady after God knows what? "Who is this?" his tone grew harsher. "Tell me who I'm talking to!"

"Oh, come now, Leo," Annie chuckled back. "I should be insulted that you didn't recognize me before. I guess the surgery did its job then."

"Who is this?" Leo repeated sternly.

He heard the woman he was talking to laughing at him through her end. It seemed like she was enjoying listening to his pain. When he heard her answer him right before she hung up, he began to understand why: "Regards from Cyprus."

He looked at his phone in disbelief for a second. "I… I…" he stumbled at trying to transfer his thoughts to his mouth. "I have to go. My son is in danger."

"Wait," Zach stopped him. "That person; you said they had Kendall."

Leo nodded.

"If Kendall is in danger, then I'm coming with you," Zach told him firmly. "That's not a request. Now who has her?"

"It doesn't matter to you. She's someone from my past." _My past which is coming back to bit me in the butt again!_

Zach took the phone from Leo and looked to see the number that called. He recognized it and took out his own phone just to make sure. "I know who that was," he confirmed his suspicions. "Annie Devane."

----------

Greenlee awoke; immediately completely aware of where she was. _How do I always end up in this stinking hospital?_ She felt something rubbing on her hand and turned her head to see David Hayward sitting next to her.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," she heard his soft and relieved voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she smiled at him. It even surprised her how normal she felt. Her forced nap must have done wonders for her.

"Good to hear," he kissed his sister-in-law's hand. "You scared me today, you know? When you fainted before, I…"

"Don't worry about me, David," she interrupted him. "You can't get rid of me that easy, okay? You're stuck with me." David kept his relieved smile. By watching her now, she seemed to be back to her usual energetic self. "So, Doc; what are they doing with me at my least favorite place on earth?"

"Well, they got some fluids in you – which I remember telling you to do yourself, by the way. And it looks like you have all the color back in your face now. Jake is running some tests right now just to be safe."

"Wait a minute," Greenlee realized, now remembering all the circumstances of her loss of consciousness. "What about my son? Where is David?"

"Annie promised to get him home. He should be with Leo now. That's probably why Leo isn't here – must not have wanted to bring David here and freak him out too much."

Greenlee gave it some thought. What David said was logical, but she still found it hard to believe that Leo wouldn't come running the second he found out she was here. Something just felt off about it. "Can you call him for me? Just to make sure he has David and everything is alright?"

"Sure," he took out his phone and went to the corner of the room. "You keep an eye on the door to make sure no one is coming, okay? You know they don't allow cell phones in here."

"Thanks, David. And thanks for staying with me."

"No problem," David answered her warmly as he waited for Leo to pick up his phone. Where else was he going to be? He had to stay with her and make sure she was okay. If something had happened to another person he cared about…

"David," he heard a very rushed sounding Leo answer his phone. "Please tell me you're still with Greenlee!"

"Yeah, I'm with Greenlee. Where are you?"

"Zach and I are on our way to Millar's Falls," Leo responded; answering through rushed, panicky breaths. "The one who was after me: it's not Vanessa. It's a debutant that I fleeced in Cyprus right before I came to Pine Valley: Emilia Muurinen. And she's got David."

David became increasingly worried as he heard the news. He knew Greenlee was sitting there watching him tense up, but there was nothing he could do to mask his own fear. None of it mattered anymore. Not the fact that this was the woman who probably killed his family; not the jail time he did – only that his nephew was in danger; _another_ family member in trouble. "Wait a minute," he nervously brushed his hand through his hair, hoping he wasn't hearing Leo right. "I don't understand. David was with Annie!"

"They're one and the same," Leo answered.

Greenlee was sitting up straight in her hospital bed now, reading the worry all over her brother-in-law's face. "What the hell is going on, David?"

David couldn't answer as he continued to listen to Leo.

"She said if she sees a cop she's going to start shooting, David. I need you to stay with Greenlee – keep her out of this. She was really sick this morning and if she knows what's going on… I just want her to be safe, okay? And also, David…" he paused and took a deep breath before making his final request; hopefully not the last thing Greenlee would ever hear from him: "Tell Greenlee I love her."

That was the last thing David heard from Leo as his brother hung up on him. Now he was left to deal with Greenlee – a woman who could be hard enough to handle without going into insanely protective mother mode.

"David," she ordered him. "You better tell me that my son is okay, damn it!"

"I… I can't do that," he sadly shook his head. It would be no use to lie to her. She already could see that something was very wrong. "Does the name Emilia Muurinen ring any bells?"

"Leo's second wife," she nodded. "The one right before he came here. Yeah, I know all about it."

"Well, she's back," David told her; waiting for the explosion that he knew was coming from the petite woman in the hospital gown. "She's Annie Devane; and she has David."

Greenlee sat still, bubbling in anger for a few moments. _I should have known that too sweat to be normal routine was a phony. When I get my hands on her_… "Where?" she ordered David to give her more information. "I asked you: where is my son?" she repeated strongly as David was struggling with what to tell her.

"They're at Millar's Falls," David sighed. "Leo is on his way there right now."

Greenlee threw herself off of her hospital bed and made a beeline for the door.

"Whoa whoa whoa," David rushed over to block her path. He had to keep all his energy on Greenlee right now. It was the only way he could block out the pain of what was going on, and the nagging feeling that he was responsible in more ways than one. "Greenlee, where do you think you're going? There's a good reason you're in the hospital, remember?"

"I feel fine, David. And if you don't get out of my way, I'm going to make sure that you'll be the one with a good reason to be in this hospital! Please, David; if there was something you could have done back then to save your family, I know you would have done it. Well I can't just sit here and do nothing while my son needs me."

David couldn't deny that she had him on that one. He spent every waking day thinking about what he could have done that day and all the days before to somehow make things different. He couldn't put Greenlee in that same position. He walked back to the chair by the bed and grabbed his jacket that was slung over it. "Put this on," he threw the jacket to her. "So you don't look too suspicious as we sneak out of here."

"Thank you, David," she told him as she put it on. David opened the door of the hospital room to make sure the coast was clear of anyone that might recognize her. "Let's go."

The two of them snuck out without anyone noticing. The room sat empty for about ten minutes before Jake Martin walked back in with a file in hand. Seeing the empty room, he tried knocking on the bathroom door. "Greenlee? Greens, you in there?" No answer. He took a look around the room and chuckled. _Greenlee walked out of here herself – why am I not surprised?_ He walked back towards the door before turning to face the empty bed again. He had come in here to bring some good news to a good friend but by now she was probably long gone. "Congratulations," he pretended he was talking to Greenlee before he turned off the light.


	23. Time for Revenge

_Ring ring_

Bianca was getting tired of this. The phones were ringing off the hook, and she already had to cover one meeting about an hour ago for Kendall – with another to come in thirty minutes if she couldn't find her suddenly AWOL sister.

"Yes," she answered the phone, struggling to keep the frustration she was feeling out of her voice. "Oh, Mother, it's just you… No, of course I'm happy to hear from you, it's just that – well, at least you weren't some angry customer calling to rip my head off because that's just the kind of day this has been so far… Listen, can I call you back when I'm not so swamped?... Thanks, Mom… Love you too."

She slammed the phone down onto its holder, amazed at herself that she was able to keep her cool for that entire thirty second conversation.

"Ms. Montgomery," she heard her name being called over the intercom. "Mr. Harvin from Tracy's is on line three. He doesn't sound very happy."

"Of course he doesn't," Bianca mumbled to herself. She let out a loud, frustrated groan before she answered her next phone call. "Kendall, where are you!"

----------

Kendall and David Jr. sat next to each other about twenty five feet from the four foot high railing where the rocky ground ended and the long drop into the rapids below began. Annie sat between them and the rail, leaning her weight forward onto the balls of her feet. She checked once again to count the bullets in her gun – she was growing impatient.

"Where is your daddy, huh?" she addressed the scared young boy in front of her. Annoyance filled her voice. "When you wait so long for something, sometimes you run out of patience."

David didn't answer her and kept holding onto Kendall. "It's okay," Kendall whispered to him, still trying to put on a brave face for David, and held him a little bit tighter.

Leo and Zach had heard Annie as they were searching the path for her and her two hostages. The two of them continued to inch forward behind the wall of large rocks that hid them from view until they reached the end and sat with their backs against the final rock.

Leo took a glance around the rock and saw the open area that it led to. Kendall and David were the closest to them, almost fifteen feet in, while Annie sat between them and the ledge.

"She wasn't kidding," Leo whispered. "She's got a gun."

"And Kendall and David: do they look all right?" Zach whispered back.

"So far," Leo answered. "Okay, she wants me. If she sees you here, that might do more harm than good."

"I'm not going to sit here and do nothing," Zach shot back as harshly as he could without raising his voice. "Kendall and your son are both in danger. I won't just sit by and let something happen to them." He was frustrated at being told what to do – no one gives Zach Slater orders. And if that psychopath did anything to Kendall, he was going to make sure she prayed for death.

"Just wait here for a bit. When she's distracted, you'll know what to do."

Leo slipped out from behind the rock before Zach could protest again. Zach inched over to where Leo was sitting so that he would be able to see a little of what was going on.

Annie was the first to see Leo come out and her face brightened up in a cheerful scowl when she did. "Finally," she stood up and made sure he saw the gun in her hand. "So nice of you to join us, Leo. I was worried you wouldn't make it to your own swan song."

"Dad!" David turned his head and saw him as well. He got up and ran towards Leo, jumping into his father's arms. Leo picked him up and held onto him tightly. "Don't worry about a thing, David," Leo whispered to him. "I'm going to make sure you get home safe and sound."

Kendall stayed put as she watched the scene. As good as it was to see Leo here, she couldn't help but notice how Annie had that vicious look of anticipation back; bored Annie seemed a lot less dangerous than bloodthirsty revenge-bent Annie, and her own fear left her unable to move from her spot on the ground. Now that Leo had David and she no longer needed to be the young boy's source of comfort, her fears had begun to consume her.

"It's about time you got here," Annie spoke up again. As the one with the gun, Annie was going to make sure everyone's focus was on her. Leo instantly recognized the look in her eyes; he had seen it before from his mother the day that she kidnapped Greenlee. It was the look of spending so much time pretending to be someone else that when the real person was finally allowed to come out, the energy of it all was too much to take. She was on the border of revenge and madness, and he knew it wouldn't be too long for the madness to come out. It just remained to be seen if Annie was truly that dangerous; but now he had no other choice but to find out.

Leo slowly put David down and motioned for his young son to stay behind him. "Why are you doing this? Isn't there some other way, Emilia?"

"Annie!" she strongly corrected him. "It's only Annie now! That weak little girl that you knew in Cyprus doesn't exist anymore!" She stopped herself as she realized she was

letting him get under her skin. Fifteen years of waiting and anticipation was finally coming out by seeing his face with the truth now out in the open. Leo saw it too. He needed to push her more and make her crack. Hopefully then she wouldn't be able to do something rash. Hopefully it would expose her as someone who wasn't able to go through with her threats and not as someone who meant every word of them.

"But why, Annie? Is this worth risking your daughter for?"

"Don't you dare talk about her!" Annie angrily snapped back. "You already cost me everything once; now I'm going to do the same thing to you. You deserve to lose everything you care about just like I did!"

Leo put a hand behind his back onto David's shoulder as he heard her threats. No matter what happened to him, he was going to make sure that David and Kendall were going to be okay.

Annie rose up her gun at Leo as she regained her controlled evil grin. Having Leo on the defensive helped her regain her composure. "Walk over there, Leo," she ordered, pointing to the low railing that blocked off the drop into the rapids below. Leo did, making sure David stayed behind him the entire time. "Now, take a look down, Leo. And maybe give your son a peek as well. I don't understand how you and Vanessa survived that. But you did. Thanks to this spot I found out where you were. When you and your mother took the plunge it created an international incident. It was everywhere that Vanessa escaped the country, and that anyone who had information should come forward with it. So I tried to find her too. Once I found out that you and the little wife had gone into hiding, Vanessa was the closest thing I could get to true revenge." Annie began to trail off in anger as she told the story, even as she fought to stay in control of herself. Her teeth were clenching up, her hands began to shake, and her eyes couldn't mask her rage anymore. "I searched for years before I gave up on her. I didn't know where you were but I knew that if you ever showed yourself it would be back here in Pine Valley. So I came here and I blended in; and I waited for my chance at revenge."

"But my brother's family," Leo encouraged her to keep rambling. The more she rambled the more she was losing it. "Why?"

"No! No! That wasn't my fault," Annie became defensive. She grabbed her head as if to fight off the inner voices screaming at her from inside. "I never wanted to kill them – I didn't mean it!"

"So why did you do it?" Leo pushed her. He was encouraged by what he was seeing now. Cold blooded killers don't get apologetic.

"I only wanted you!" she screamed, immediately throwing Leo's theory out the window. "You were the only one I wanted dead! But Adam – he found out about me. He… he wanted Aidan for a job, but Adam's idea of background checks on his employees included their wives. He was going to expose me to Aidan, and I… I… I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't lose my cover until I found you." She held onto her head again and began mumbling madly to herself. Leo continued to feel for David behind him and shield him behind his larger body. He gave a nod towards the rocks as Annie mumbled to herself, and Zach took the sign and snuck out. Kendall was still sitting on the ground in frozen terror, but Annie had her back to her as she faced Leo and David standing in front of the rail. He tapped Kendall on the shoulder with one hand and put the other over her mouth to prevent her from screaming. He turned her to him and put his finger over his lips to tell her to stay quiet. She took his hand and tiptoed with him back out to behind the rock where he had been hiding. Annie, too engaged with her own inner demons at the moment, never turned to see them go.

Kendall sat back against the rock as tears started to fall through her rushed breaths. Zach opened his mouth to whisper to her that they needed to go as he heard Annie start screaming again.

"No! It wasn't my fault! It was you who did this to me!" she screamed at Leo. David hid his face into Leo's back and closed his eyes, praying that the crazy lady would stop yelling and let them go. "You were the one who deserved to lose it all after what you did to me! You were the one with no remorse! You were the one that left me broke, alone, and pregnant!"

Leo couldn't believe his ears. _Pregnant? But that means… No, that can't be. _Zach heard it to and inched over to listen as Kendall was trying to work through her feelings of terror and relief and gain control of her movements again.

"But Emma… she… isn't she fifteen?"

"No, you idiot!" Annie yelled back. It was clear from her voice and her mannerisms that she had snapped – and the change wasn't looking good. "Tell a little kid something over and over and they'll believe anything their mommy tells them. She was born seventeen years ago. Eight months after you left me and came here for your next conquest! You left me all alone to fend for myself and my daughter!" Annie madly pointed the gun back in Leo and David's direction. "And now you're going to feel what I felt! It's time for you to pay for what you did to me!"


	24. Everything to Lose

Greenlee was out the door the second that David had the car parked. She had wanted to never have to come back to this place again – to the spot where she once thought her life had lost all meaning – but now she couldn't hurry ahead fast enough. Her husband and son were up there with a gun-wielding maniac! They could be hurt… or worse. David hurried out behind her before she could get too far ahead. Keeping Greenlee okay was his top priority right now. She was trying not to show it, but it was clear to him that she was pushing it too hard and too soon. The stress definitely wasn't good for her right now. But it wasn't like Greenlee was going to agree to go back to the hospital, and he couldn't blame her for it. He just had to hope that Leo and Zach had gotten there in time.

Greenlee stopped for a moment when she saw Leo's car out of the corner of her eye. _He's still here. Please God let them be okay?_ Her quick moment of alarm allowed David to catch up with her.

"You okay, Greenlee?" he put his hand on her shoulder. Her face was growing pale again and her breathing seemed weak to him. He wasn't completely sure yet if it was because of her being sick or if she was starting to have a panic attack.

"We've got to find them," she burst away from her brother-in-law again. That answered David's question – she was definitely pushing it too hard. He was left to chase after her again – _before something could happen to her too_.

Greenlee and David soon reached the open area that led to the hike up around the overlook of the falls. They saw Zach Slater coming down the stairs, carrying a very shaken up looking Kendall against him. A feeling of terror gripped Greenlee when she saw them. _Where are my boys? Where are Leo and David?_ She rushed up to Zach and met him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Leo and David!" she pulled on his side and pleaded frantically with him while David Hayward watched with his hand over his mouth, dreading what information Zach might have for her. "Where are they? Why aren't they down here with you!"

"They're still up there," Zach answered as he searched for a good spot where he could put Kendall down. "I'm calling the police. Cops or no cops, Annie didn't look like she was going to let them out alive."

"Oh God," Greenlee stood frozen for a moment with her hands over her mouth. _They have to come out of this okay; they have to! I can't be losing everything again._

Zach found a flat rock to sit Kendall down on. He made sure she was steady enough on it even through her trembling to sit up under her own power, and then took out his phone. "Emma needs to find out too – before she loses both parents."

Greenlee was too consumed in her own fear to catch that last statement, but it didn't escape David.

"What are you talking about, Slater?"

"Emma is Leo's daughter," he stated simply, keeping the dramatics on hold so he could get back to informing the police of the situation and then get back to taking care of Kendall. David's jaw dropped at the revelation. By the time he could move his mouth again to speak, Zach was already on the phone with the police, ordering them to get to Millar's Falls immediately. His attention turned to Greenlee, who still hadn't moved. _Did she just hear Zach?_ He saw her legs becoming wobbly and her eyes starting to close again. "Greenlee!" he ran over to her and caught her before she hit the ground. "Damn it, Greenlee; it's too much too soon. Why did I let you talk me into this?" He laid her down flat and patted her on the cheek until he got her awake again. Her eyes opened halfway for him.

"David?" she moaned through deep breaths. "We have to… go save Leo… and David."

"You're not going anywhere," he told her. "Even you can admit that to yourself right now. Just rest right here until you get your strength back."

Greenlee slowly sat herself up straight; grimacing as one of her hands covered her forehead and David kept a hand on her back for support. She dropped her hand and looked straight into David's eyes with hers now completely open. What looked like it could soon be a fountain of tears began to full up her brown beauties. "You have to go," she begged him. "Please, David? You need to go help them."

"No, I can't," he tried to backpedal, but was unable to look away from her terrified eyes. "I… I'll just make things worse. I always make things worse for the people I love. This wouldn't even be happening if I hadn't let Annie take David."

"This isn't your fault, David," Greenlee got the words out weakly. "Then it would just be me up there instead of him."

David nervously brushed his hand through his hair. "But the police will be here soon anyway. They can help."

Greenlee shook her head. Still taking deep breaths, she was struggling to get her thoughts out. "Like they helped last time? No, David. We already know how that turns out."

Some tears began to come out of Greenlee's eyes. David couldn't bear to look into them anymore and turned to Zach. "Zach, you go. You were already there; you have a better shot at helping."

"If anyone is going back there it's you, David," Zach responded. He never looked away from Kendall as he continued to try and get her comfortable, running his hands through her hair and doing anything else that he thought might help her recover from the shock of her experience. "I can't leave Kendall like this."

David turned back to Greenlee who now had tears streaming down her face. Right now he was her only hope, and he was only trying to weasel his way out of it. David took Greenlee's hand in his and wiped away some of her tears with his other hand. He couldn't face his sister-in-law's scared eyes anymore. He had to try.

"Please tell me you'll go help them?" Greenlee pleaded softly. David tried to tell her he would go, but couldn't find the inner strength in him to say yes. Just because he couldn't turn her down didn't mean he didn't think that he was the wrong person for her to count on. "Please do this for me, David? And for them? I believe in you."

David nodded and let go of her hand. _Of course she has to say that, she has no other options but me._ He made it to the stairs to get to the path and paused once he had his hand on the rail. He turned back to Greenlee who was still looking at him, still sitting on the ground and looking terrified. _I can't let her end up like I did_. _I can't let her feel that pain again._ "Keep an eye on Greenlee," he yelled to Zach. Looking back at Greenlee once more he mouthed the words to her: "I'll be back." If only he really meant it. He looked up the stairs and tried to prepare himself mentally to go and find his brother and nephew. They were counting on him. Greenlee was counting on him. As his foot touched the first step he pictured the image that his mind had created of the Chandler mansion blowing up. At the second he thought of Krystal. At the third he thought of Babe. _Everyone close to me ends up gone. Please God if you can hear me: don't let more names get added to that list because of me._

Zach watched him go up the stairs and took a quick glance at Greenlee to make sure she was still awake. The police and the paramedics would be here soon to help her from whatever it was that made her faint. He turned his head forward to Kendall whom he was still sitting across from. A hand rested on each of her cheeks, letting him feel her body still trembling from her experience.

"You… you…" Kendall finally began to talk for the first time since he rescued her.

"Don't push it," Zach told her calmly. "You're safe now. Just slowly let yourself get past the shock."

Kendall shook her head through her still trembling movements and pushed herself to say what she wanted to say. "But you… you… you came for me… Why?"

Zach didn't even bat an eyelash as he answered. It wasn't worth running anymore; not after she was almost lost for good. "Because I love you."

"I… I…" Kendall tried to work her way through the range of emotions she was feeling from coming straight out of a life and death situation to this. "I… I love you too." She leaned forward and collapsed her body into his, wrapping her arms around him tightly. _I'm never letting go of you again._

----------

So many things were going through Leo's mind as Annie continued to yell and scream at him. She wanted to make him suffer, but it wasn't her or the gun itself that was pointed at him that scared him. It was his real belief that it really might be the end of the road. He might never get to see Holly going to her prom, give her away at her wedding, or see her wrap the world around her fingers like he knew she could. He might never get to see David Jr. going out on his first date, scoring a winning basket, or leaving for his first day of high school. And worst of all, he might not be able to see any of those things with Greenlee. The thought of never being able to hold her or kiss her again, never being able to tell her how perfect she made his life again, and never being able to see that breathtaking smile that somehow made the rest of the world stop existing to him again – that was the worst of it. All he could do now was stay alive as long as possible and hope that Zach was on his way back or had called for help.

Annie's controlled scowl was long gone. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her eyes were bulging, and her lips were quivering. She clearly wasn't in total control anymore, but it looked like she was still intent on finishing what she started.

"I want you to feel as empty as I felt!" she went on in her rage. "You don't deserve the life that you got!"

"Okay, you're right," Leo answered softly and slowly; trying to inject some calm into the situation, if not to appease Annie than at least for the sake of his terrified son standing behind him right in front of the railing. "I don't deserve it. But I've changed, Annie, and I was able to turn my life around; just like you can do with yours."

"What life? I had a life and you stole it from me!"

"You can still be happy with Emma; I know you can. All you have to do is let yourself be happy and drop the hate."

He could see tears forming in Annie's eyes; not because she was listening to him but because the entire event was doing a number on her psyche.

"I will be happy!" she cried back. "As soon as you find out what it's like – what I lived with! Then Emma and I can get out of here and start over because I'll know that I got justice! And that's going to start right now." She looked at David standing behind him and let out a crazy sounding cackle when she moved the gun to face him. "I want you to tell him everything, Leo. I want you to tell him exactly what you did to me. I want you to tell him what a colossal son of a bitch you really are. Because I want him to hate you like you should be hated. I want him to know that you deserve no one's love and respect. I want him to look at you like you're dead!"

Leo's face squirmed in pain. It wasn't like he expected his children to never know about the man he used to be, but he didn't expect that day to be now – when David was still too young to be able to understand everything that was happening back then.

"Do it or I shoot him!" Annie yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Okay," Leo muttered and slowly bent down on one knee to be face to face with his son.

"What is she talking about, Dad?" the young boy asked him with tears on his face. "Why won't she let us go?"

"It's my fault, David," he whispered to him. "I…" He paused, wondering how to tell this kind of thing to a ten year old who always looked up to him, and also hoping to stall a little longer. He put his hand on David's shoulder and sighed as he looked into his son's big brown eyes. "Listen to me, buddy. I… I've done some things I'm not proud of…"

He looked back at Annie before going on and his eyes widened with hope when he saw David Hayward leaning out from behind the huge rock at the end of the path leading to where they all stood. Annie saw the look in his eyes and turned around to see what he was looking at, but David quickly ducked back behind the rock before she saw him. He took a deep breath and sat still, hoping that Annie wouldn't think anything of whatever Leo might have been looking at.

"Kendall?" Annie trembled; finally realizing her other hostage was long gone. "No, no no no, she can't be gone. Now they're all going to know about me!" She turned to look angrily at Leo. "How am I going to get away with Emma now!" David Hayward lightly bumped his head against the rock in disgust with himself as he heard Annie's furious screams. _Great. Now I've just made things worse again._

Leo watched as Annie held her head in a panic. It looked like she was trying to come up with a new plan, but now that she realized that a seamless escape with her daughter wasn't an option anymore, he had a bad feeling of what she was going to do next. She held up the gun once again at David Jr. Her entire body was shaking as her future plans crashed and burned. "Forget making you pay slowly," she snarled. "Let's skip straight to you losing everything. If I'm going down, you're going down with me."

David Jr. began crying again as he looked down the barrel of the gun that Annie adjusted to point right at his head.

"No!" Leo screamed in terror.

_Bang!_

Leo was driven back by the force of the gunshot. He looked over and saw David Jr. with his hands over his ears now crying hysterically.

"Warning shot," Annie sneered at the bullet that had flown between father and son. "Come over here, David," she ordered to the young boy. "Come to me or I will shoot you and your father right now!"

David Hayward looked out again from behind the rock. When he heard the gunshot, he thought he knew. That was it again – more family lost forever. But the relief when he saw Leo and David Jr. still okay was overshadowed by the memories of everyone else he had lost rushing back to him. Something inside him told him that this would be no different: it was just a matter of time.

Leo caught his eyes as David Jr. slowly came to Annie. "Help me," he mouthed the words to his brother while Annie's attention was on David Jr. "Help David. She's going to kill us."

David came out in fear from behind the rocks. Annie still faced ahead to Leo and the falls as she held the gun against David Jr's head. This time he wasn't going to have to imagine a picture in his mind of people dying. This time it was happening right in front of him. His feet felt glued to the ground after he stood out from behind the rock.

"You watching closely, Leo?" Annie began to cackle and laugh like a woman that belongs in Oak Haven. "As you lose what you care about, Leo, I want to see how you take it."

Leo's eyes caught David's again as he stood behind them. David knew what his brother wanted him to do, but his legs felt too heavy to move. _When I get involved_ _I just make everything worse_. He watched Annie put her hand around David Jr's head. "Would you like to tell me why I should let you live?" Annie asked him, holding Leo off with her gun when she saw him trying to inch forward to them. Leo again glanced quickly at David, showing his brother all the fear in his eyes. _Oh no, now Leo is going to end up like me too._ David tried to move forward but the painful memories of his past continued to hold him down. As Annie held David Jr. he felt like he was watching her holding Babe or Marissa, and he was only able to watch as it all happened again.

"No words?" Annie asked David Jr. "Okay. Don't worry; your father will be along to join you in hell in a minute."

David saw it as if it was happening in slow motion. Annie's finger slowly began to push itself into the trigger. "_Please, David?_" he remembered Greenlee pleading with him. "_You need to go help them._" He felt his feet begin to charge forward as he heard the sound of her voice in his head once again: "_I believe in you._"

Leo also saw Annie beginning to fire. He instinctively ran at her to save his son, but Annie pulled the gun away from David Jr's head and pointed it at an oncoming Leo. "Now you lose," she snickered.

"Nooo!" David yelled in terror as he charged at Annie from behind. His body flew hard into hers as she pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

David, Annie, and David Jr. hit the ground hard from the force of the collision. Annie recovered first in a panic. "The gun? Where is my gun?" She frantically searched around the ground for where it may have fallen from when she was hit from behind. David still had his head on the ground, afraid at what he might find when he looked up. The gun had gone off – he was too late. "Leo? Oh God, Leo?" he prayed to hear his brother's voice somewhere. Around him there was quiet. He couldn't hear anything anymore: not Leo, not Annie, not David Jr_. I did it again, didn't I? I couldn't stop this either. I'm a curse to them too._ "I'm sorry," he muttered as he rolled onto his back.

"It's over," he heard a male voice telling someone to the right of him. He looked up and saw Annie backing off, with Leo holding her gun on her. David Jr. was back up too and standing behind his father. When the young boy saw his uncle getting up, he ran towards him and jumped into his surprised arms. A sense of comfort fell over David as he held his still tear-soaked nephew. _I saved him. I'm not a death sentence_.

"Annie, please?" Leo tried talking softly to her. She continued to back up until she was leaning against the rail. She took a peek over it and then looked back at Leo. It didn't look like anyone was home behind her empty looking brown eyes. "No, don't!" Leo yelled as she put one foot on top of the rail. "Rot in hell," she snapped at him before taking another look down. "No!" he screamed again as she lifted up her other leg and pushed off the top of the rail. He rushed to the spot where she jumped, seeing her at the end of her fall before she hit the water below.

David saw her jump over, but breathed a sigh of relief that David Jr. still had his arms around him and his head against his shoulder – missing being able to witness Annie's jump off the edge. Leo stared at the gun in his hand for a few moments before he put it down and walked over to his brother and son. He put his arms around both of them and put his head on the opposite shoulder of David Jr's so he could whisper into David's ear: "Thank you."


	25. Time to say I do

Jake Martin looked into the six foot tall mirror and adjusted his tux one last time. Five more minutes until it was time to go out there and get married. His brother and father had just left the room. His brother, Tad, had to go out there to be ready to conduct the ceremony. Tad Martin as a priest might not have sounded logical to anyone, but according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania he was just as qualified as anyone to marry his little brother off. And Jake's father, Joe, of course had made the trip up from his retirement home in Florida for his son's special day. After giving Jake his personal blessings, he had left to go take his seat in the church. The only one left with Jake now was his best man.

"You're looking smashing," Aidan told him with a little extra British accent.

Jake turned to face him and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "How are you feeling, Aidan?" he asked him, unconvinced that Aidan cheery jibe wasn't really just a cover for his true feelings.

"It's not like I haven't been drugged before. I'm feeling fine again, no big deal."

"I didn't mean your physical health. No one expects you to be in a partying mood so soon after what just happened to you, so if you want to back out of the best man duties I completely understand."

"That's not happening, mate."

"Really?" Jake pushed him. "Are you sure you're ready to be my best man?"

Aidan smiled and nodded at the soon to be Mr. Simone Torres. "I appreciate you caring about my mental health, Jake, but this is a happy day. Today we only talk about happy things. And on this, the happiest day of your life, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than standing up for you."

Jake beamed at him; partly out of seeing what Aidan was still willing to do for him despite the woman he was married to for so long recently exposing herself as a revenge bent psychopath, and partly out of the gleeful anticipation of what he himself was about to do."

Aidan gave him a playful slap on the arm. "So you ready?"

"Never been more ready for anything in my life."

"Then let's go get married."

----------

Simone had to consciously remind herself to hold in her tears of joy. Her hands were shaking slightly as one of them held Greenlee's hand and the other held Kendall's.

"God, I'm just so nervous," she admitted to her two bridesmaids.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing," Greenlee smiled at her. "You're up to the easy part. All that's left is to walk down that aisle and say 'I do."

"Yeah," Simone agreed. Her face was so bright with happiness that it could light up the room. "So speaking of that, I wanted to ask you two something. I know it's a little late, but I didn't want you to have the chance to say no."

"We're here for you, honey," Kendall told her. "Anything you need, we'll do."

"Well, I know that it's not very traditional," Simone started her request. "But I was hoping… you know, since my dad has been AWOL for so long. That… well, besides for marrying the man I love today, I can't think of anything I'd like more than to have my two best friends in the world be the ones to walk me down the aisle and give me away."

"You got it, sweetie," Greenlee answered. Kendall nodded as well.

"Thank you, both of you," Simone blushed and let out a relieved laugh. "You guys are really helping to make this day so perfect for me, you have no idea."

"That's our job as your bridesmaids and as your best friends, Simone," Kendall put her arm around the blushing bride.

"Agreed," Greenlee affectionately brushed her thumb across Simone's chin. "Even two attention hogs like us know that today is all about you, so your wish is our command today."

Simone smiled back at them. "Well, it's not only a special day for me," she told Greenlee, slanting her head as if to tell her bridesmaid that she knew something that she shouldn't. "I owe you a congratulations too. I'm so happy for you that you're getting your miracle baby – Jake told me."

Kendall's jaw dropped as she turned her attention to Greenlee. "But I thought you…"

"Anything's possible in Pine Valley," Greenlee gave her a happy shrug with a smile so wide that it matched the bride's. "But you both have to keep this quiet for now because I haven't told Leo yet, okay? All he knows is that I had to spend a couple days on bed rest and now I'm back and ready to party."

"And you're sure you're ready for that?" Kendall asked. She hadn't forgotten what happened to Greenlee at the falls last week.

"Jake gave me the okay to go all out tonight before I have to start taking it easy. But I could be half dead and I still wouldn't miss your day for the world, Simone."

"Oh, you guys," Simone couldn't help but let a tear of joy drop onto her face. "Oh God. Can you give me a second? I think I need to check my makeup."

Simone hurried off to the bathroom of her private room to make sure she would still look her best for Jake when she had to go out there in a couple minutes. This day was shaping up to be so perfect for her. It was such a special occasion for her and for Greenlee too. All that was left was to stand up there with Jake in what would be a moment that she would never forget, and then give Kendall a surprise of her own to make this day special for her too. After all, Simone wanted more than just to have perfection for herself. Everyone else deserved it too.

"I can't believe how happy she looks," Kendall admired aloud after watching Simone shut the bathroom door.

Greenlee chuckled in agreement. "Is that going to be you sometime soon?"

"Maybe," she answered with a wide smile and a twinkle in her eye.

----------

Greenlee and Kendall brought Simone down the aisle, leaving her off to Jake and then taking their place behind the lovely bride.

"Dearly beloved," they heard Tad begin the ceremony once everyone in the church sat back down. Greenlee would have expected something to go wrong in the typical Pine Valley style that she had missed for the last fifteen years, but something about this felt so right as she watched Jake and Simone looking at each other while Tad went on and then as they recited their vows. It was so beautiful, and the bride and groom looked so happy. Nothing could possibly go wrong on this one.

"Do you, Jake Martin," Tad began to wrap it up after their vows, "take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And so you, Simone Torres, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Tad smiled mischievously at his brother before putting his own spin on the end of his priestly duties. "Now go kiss your beautiful bride before I do it for you."

Jake leaned forward to kiss Simone and the guests all stood up and applauded as his lips touched hers.

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Martin!" Tad tried to scream above the applause.

Kendall watched Jake and Simone kiss and turned to find Zach in the crowd. Their eyes met and she smiled at him. Zach looked back at her lovingly as his right hand stayed in his pocket, fiddling with a small black box.

Greenlee had the same idea, looking back at Leo as Jake and Simone kissed. She saw him mouth the words to her: "I love you." She looked back at him tenderly and instinctively moved her hand over her stomach as she mouthed the words back.


	26. The Wedding Reception

_**Author's note**: Final chapter coming up now. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed writing this one, and I hope everyone has enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who read it and especially to those who have reviewed it thus far. I would love to hear what people have to say after this chapter about what they thought of the story as a whole or about where characters ended up and such._

* * *

Greenlee rested her head against Leo's chest and had her arms wrapped around him as they danced to the beautiful slow love song that the wedding band was playing. Her energy level was higher than it had been in weeks – a natural high from all the happiness around her – and she hadn't been able to stop smiling since the ceremony. Being on the dance floor now with her husband only heightened her joy as she thought about where life was about to take them.

"Hey," Leo whispered in her ear and motioned for her to look to her left. "Check that out," he got her attention over to where Jake and Simone were dancing and laughing together. "They look so happy together."

"They're one of the lucky ones," Greenlee agreed.

"So are you regretting it?" Leo asked her.

"Regretting what?"

"Not having a giant hall like this where everyone could stare at us after our wedding and be in awe of our happiness?"

Greenlee moved her arms up to rest each one of them on one of his shoulders as they continued to dance slowly. "I think our wedding was perfect," she smiled at him.

"Even though we never got a wedding dance?" Leo jokingly smiled back.

"Look around. I see a band, a gorgeous wedding hall, a big cake over there in the corner – I'd say better late than never."

Leo chuckled in agreement and leaned his head down to kiss her.

"Mmm," Greenlee hummed at the taste of him. "More of that is good too."

"Not that I don't think you're the most amazing woman in the world everyday, Greens," Leo teasingly smiled at her as he moved his hands from around her back to rest them on her waist. "But do I sense a little extra hop in your step today? Is the wedding bringing out your mushy side?"

"What do you mean?" Greenlee blushed. She knew exactly what he meant of course, but even with almost a week to think about it she still didn't know how to tell him about the baby. It's not like she was scared about how he would react – of course he was going to be just as happy as she was – but the whole thing had come from so far out of left field that Greenlee almost felt like the longer she kept it to herself, the longer she could keep in all her glorious energy. She knew it wasn't really a true worry, but she did get a thrill out of knowing that any second she wanted, she could make his day.

"Aww, you're blushing," Leo couldn't help but taunt her a little. "That means you're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Greenlee grinned.

Leo sighed happily and was about to push her more until he saw Emma out of the corner of his eye. Of course he knew that Aidan was at the wedding, but he hadn't seen Emma at the actual ceremony. Now she was sitting by herself at one of the tables, obviously looking anything but in a mood to party.

"You know what, Greens? Can you hold that thought? I think I need a minute."

Greenlee turned her head to where Leo was looking and saw Emma sitting alone. "Good luck," she told him and took her hands back from her husband's shoulders, giving him a quick kiss for luck as well.

Leo took a very nervous deep breath as he approached Emma. _She must think I'm the worst thing that's ever happened to her. Yeah, I didn't know about her; but that's not an excuse for why she was brought into this world in the first place. She probably blames me for what happened to her mom too._ Leo couldn't think of a single calming thought before he reached the table where Emma was sitting. Every part of him knew this wasn't going to go well, but he cared about her just like he cared about Holly. His daughter was his daughter whether he knew her from birth or not. Emma's sad expression didn't change when she saw him standing over her, not helping Leo's confidence any.

"Can I sit with you for a minute?" he asked the teenager.

"Yeah, sure," she gave him a dry response.

"So, um," Leo started uncomfortably after taking the seat next to her. "Whatever it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to your mom."

"She abandoned me," Emma shrugged. "Kind of like you did."

"And I can't apologize to you enough for that," Leo told her softly as the band began to start another slow song, saying it was a special request from the newlyweds. "I swear if I would have known about you that things would have been different. I don't know how, but somehow I would have found a way to be there for you."

"I should have known better," Emma went on, almost carrying on her own conversation with herself no matter what Leo was trying to tell her. "I mean, Mom told me all these things about how awful Terry was to both of us and how abusive he was, and I always wondered why I couldn't remember any of it. She would tell me I must have blocked it out because it was so traumatic, but deep down I always knew something wasn't right."

"Hey, you couldn't have seen this coming. No one could have." Leo put his hand on top of Emma's, feeling relieved that she let him. "Look, Emma; I don't want to pressure you at all or make you do anything you don't want to do. I realize that Aidan has been your dad for a while and I'm just the crazy bio dad that came out of nowhere. But whatever you want from me – and you don't have to make up your mind right now or anything – but I'm going to try and be whatever it is you want me to be."

"It's not fair, really," Emma almost began to smile.

"What?"

"That you have to be so cool. This would be a lot easier if I could hate you."

After a second of silence, father and daughter both let out a chuckle. Greenlee saw it and regained her bubbly smile. It was almost as nerve-racking for her to watch Leo talk to Emma as it was for Leo to actually do it. But now that she saw both of them looking okay together, she was back to feeling on top of the world.

She was startled for a second when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," a clean shaven David Hayward told her when she turned around. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"David!" she excitedly hugged him in her relief to see him. "I tried calling you. I thought you might have left Pine Valley already."

"Apparently not," David smiled at her. "I was actually hoping for a dance."

"Of course," Greenlee glowed back. "Just be careful about where you put your hands," she joked. "My husband is the big guy sitting right over there and he tends to get very protective when strange men put their hands on me."

"So now I'm a stranger?" David chuckled back.

"Well, I assume you weren't exactly invited to this wedding," Greenlee laughed.

"True," he admitted. "But Jake and Simone are good people. And I knew I would find you and Leo here."

"And you finally shaved too," Greenlee continued to taunt and joke with him, nodding her head in approval as she let one hand free to feel his cheek. "Have I ever told you that you look much cuter when you shave?"

"Actually yes," David chuckled again, remembering that night outside the Chandler lot. It seemed like a lifetime ago to him; like that was a totally different person that found Greenlee that night. "I guess someone's in a great mood today, Greenlee. Something other than the wedding causing this?"

"Tell me you're sticking around Pine Valley and maybe I'll tell you," Greenlee stopped their dancing and raised an eyebrow at him; letting him know without using words that there was only one acceptable answer to her question.

David took her back and continued their dance. "Don't worry about that," he answered her. "I'm here for good. But I do owe you and Leo an apology. I'm sorry about being so distant ever since you came back here. It's true that I've been going through a tough time, but I didn't mean to take any of that out on the people I love and for that I am sorry. I know you and Leo were just trying to help me because you love me."

"But what changed your mind?" Greenlee asked.

"It's just that…" This time David was the one that stopped their dancing when his voice trailed off, but he kept his hands on Greenlee's waist as he looked at her. "At the falls, when David hugged me," he told her as he started to get a little choked up. "He _really_ hugged me. And it felt really good. I had forgotten what it was like to have a real family, but I want to try and keep this one. So if it's okay with you, I was hoping I could come over after the reception and hang out with my niece and nephew, and maybe get to know them a little bit."

"I can't think of anything nicer," Greenlee answered him with a tear in her eye. She wiped it away with her finger and threw her arms around her brother-in-law in a huge hug. "It's so good to have the real David back," she told him.

"It's good to be back," David returned the hug. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy; happy to feel loved and cared about again.

"Excuse me," Jackson Montgomery's voice interrupted them. "May I cut in?"

"Sure," David agreed and let go of Greenlee. "Thanks for the dance, sis."

"One second, David," she stopped him while she still had his attention. She pointed him towards where the band was playing and the young girl having a blast listening to them by the sound stage. "Here's a thought: why don't you go ask that beautiful little lady over there for a dance?"

"Holly?" David asked for confirmation on the girl's identity even though he was already pretty sure.

"Yeah, that's her."

"She looks almost as beautiful as her mother," David smiled. He gave Greenlee a kiss on the cheek and went off to ask for his dance. Jack waited patiently for Greenlee as she looked on, soon giving her daughter a nod that it was okay to trust the man who had approached her.

"May I?" Jack extended his hand to his daughter when she turned back around to him.

Greenlee took it and smiled at him.

"You're looking very beautiful this afternoon, Greenlee. I guess you're over that little bug that you had."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Greenlee shrugged, but answered in a very warm tone. She couldn't tell Jack the real answer yet – that he was going to be a grandparent again. Not until Leo knew.

"Good," Jackson affectionately responded. He hadn't talked to her since the Millar's Falls events of a week ago, realizing that she had enough to deal with already without adding her confused feelings about her father to the list. But he did want to be there for her if she ever needed anything. He wanted her to trust him. "So how are we?" he asked her.

"We're good," she answered honestly. She took a quick glance at Leo and Emma talking. _How would I want Emma to act towards Leo? Jack's a good guy. I owe him the same courtesy. _"I think I get the whole long lost father thing a little better now, Dad."

"_Dad_?" Jackson smiled widely at her. He didn't see that one coming.

"Just wanted to see how it feels," Greenlee smiled back.

"And?"

"I think I could get used to it."

Jackson was blushing in his joy. It looked like he was going to truly get the chance to make up for lost time and have a real relationship with his daughter and new extended family. He was about to tell her how happy that made him when Jake's voice came out loudly through a microphone, cutting him off before he got the chance.

"Excuse me. If I could please have everyone's attention for just a moment. Thank you. My new wife would like to say a few words."

Simone took the microphone from her husband and prepared herself to address the room. "Hello, everyone," she said to her guests as Jake stood beside her. "We just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming out for our special day. It means so much to us to be able to share it with all our friends and family, so thank you all. But if you'll all indulge me for a few seconds, I want to give special thank yous to my attention loving bridesmaids and my two best friends in the world. First of all, to Greenlee duPres for coming out of hiding just for my wedding."

That crack got a laugh from her audience as Greenlee took it in stride, not minding all the attention in the slightest.

"Just kidding," Simone began again. "But seriously, thank you for being here and for standing up for me. I love you."

Greenlee happily nodded her head at Simone from across the room and blew her a kiss.

"And also to Kendall Hart," Simone continued with her joyful words on the microphone. She scanned the room with her eyes and found Kendall standing next to Zach about twenty feet to her sharp left. "My deepest thanks to you, Kendall. You've gone through so much with me over the years. I love you too. But Jake and I feel like it's not enough that the two of us are happy; we want everyone we love to be happy. So with that said, Kendall, would you please join me over here so we can spread some more happiness around?"

Kendall looked confused, but did as Simone requested.

"Kendall," Simone told her as she took Kendall's hand with her free hand. "You don't know how happy I am to be able to share my special day with you and make it your special day too."

"What's going on?" Kendall asked her, luckily out of range of the microphone picking up her voice so only Simone and Jake heard her.

Simone chuckled and looked past Kendall over to Zach. "Zach Slater," she said through the microphone. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Zach came over and took the microphone from Simone's hand. He then gave the bride a kiss on the cheek and a thank you before he turned to Kendall. He had rehearsed the words that he wanted to say over and over all day, but yet somehow he couldn't remember any of them anymore. He knew what she was thinking by the confused look on her face: _what the hell is going on?_ But there was also a certain hope in her eyes; like part of her knew what he was about to do. "Kendall," he told her through the microphone. He meant to go on but couldn't think of any more words than that. _Screw the speech; just show her how much you love her._ He got down on one knee and took out the black box from his pocket. He could hear a couple gasps as he placed the microphone on the ground, but there was only one reaction that he cared about. Kendall put her hands over her mouth when she saw him open the box to reveal the ring meant for her, but her smile underneath was still obvious to the entire room. "Marry me," she saw him mouth the words. He probably said them aloud, but she was too happy and in too much of a state of jubilation to even hear them. She excitedly nodded her head. "Yes, yes, yes, I will, I will." Zach put the ring on her finger and stood up to kiss her as the room applauded for the couple and the band started playing again on cue.

Greenlee enjoyed watching the scene. _This is turning into quite the perfect day for everyone._ She grabbed for the person next to her to hold onto as she blushed, and Jack happily put his arm around her as well.

Leo came back up next to them. "Hey, Dad. Is it okay if I have my wife back?"

"Of course, Leo," Jackson answered. "Listen, Greenlee. I think I've had enough partying for one day so I'm going to take off. Is it okay if I call you later?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll call you tomorrow," Greenlee responded. "We have something big to talk about."

Jackson kissed her goodbye on the cheek and left.

"Ready to dance with little old me again?" Leo asked her.

"Changing partners again?" Greenlee joked; giving him a fake gasp with her hand over her heart. "You, then David, then Jackson, then you again. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"As long as I'm the one you end up with at the end of the night," Leo played along with her and joked back.

"Always," she smiled and hugged him into slow dancing with her; the fact that the band was playing a fast song notwithstanding.

Leo kissed the top of her head and held onto her extra tightly, in that way that she knew meant that he needed to feel close to her more than normal.

"Emma," she realized the source of his worry. "Did it go okay with her?"

"I don't know; I hope so," he answered with a sigh. "I'm not sure what Emma wants, so I don't know if the family is going to get any bigger."

"Actually," Greenlee picked her head up to him and wore her biggest smile of the night. "I know it is." She took his hand and moved it onto her stomach. "Because there's another mini us growing inside of here."

The elation immediately showed on Leo's face. "Really?" he asked excitedly as she continued to nod at him through her joy filled face that this was real. "You're really… We're having a baby?" The ecstasy came over him so fast that he was picking Greenlee up off the ground and spinning her around with him before he even realized what he was doing. "This is amazing! It's unbelievable!" He brushed off a tear of joy after he put her back down.

"Yeah well, it's not going to be easy. Given past history, this pregnancy might not be so smooth. But Jake said that it was the conception that was the miracle part for my body to handle and everything is looking good right now."

"So we're getting our miracle," Leo gave her another excited hug. "Oh God, I love you so much!"

"I love you too," Greenlee hugged him back hard. "With everything I am I love you too." She took Leo's face in her hands as they began to let go of each other. "It's a miracle, Leo; just like our life together is. But that's the trade-off of being in Pine Valley: where nightmares and miracles come true every day."


End file.
